"I got scared when I was short of breath for 25 minutes"
Pepe Reina has revealed he feared for his life as coronavirus resulted in him struggling to breathe at one point.
The on-loan Aston Villa goalkeeper reported earlier this month that he believes he contracted the disease after displaying some symptoms.
And speaking to Italy's Corriere Dello Sport, the 37-year-old has opened up about his terrifying experience of Covid-19 - stating that he was in 'endless minutes of fear'.]
I am winning the battle against coronavirus only now,' he told the Italian publication.
'The most difficult moment was when I could no longer breathe, the 25 minutes I ran out of oxygen. It was the worst moments of my life."
'I don't miss the company as it's me, my wife Yolanda, five children and two in-laws. The house is big and loneliness has no access to my home.
Speaking on March 24 about contracting coronavirus, the Spaniard - who is on loan at Villa Park from AC Milan, said he took the necessary precautions after he started to feel unwell the week before, despite not being tested.
'It was my turn to go through the bug last week,' Reina told Spanish radio station Cope. 'It has been a different week, of taking precautions not to infect the people who live with me.
'Speaking to the doctors, the symptoms I had were of it, without official confirmation of it but everything pointed to it.'
Reina, who joined Villa in January, also said it was 'not important' to finish the season, even though the Premier League are desperately looking for a way to conclude it.
The global health crisis means football will not restart in this country until at least April 30, and resuming on that date also looks highly unlikely.