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After a fairly good season, in which they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, the mid-table team from Spain decided to offer a long-term contract to their goalkeeper Jose Reina.
For the last two seasons, Reina had been on loan to "Villareal" from a Spanish superclub, but now the club decided to offer the 22-year-old goalkeeper a full-time membership in "Villareal". The young Spaniard signed an eight-year contract with "Villareal", valid until June 2012.
This season, Reina defended the goal for "Villareal" in all Spanish league matches, as well as in the Intertoto tournament and UEFA Cup, where the Spaniards triumphantly made it to the semi-finals but were defeated 1-0 by their fiercest rivals, the footballers of "Valencia", who later became the cup winners.
Reina was very close to being called up to the Spanish national team to defend the country's honor at this year's European Championship in Portugal, but instead the national team coach, Inaki Saezas, chose the more experienced "Athletic" Bilbao goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia, who became the third, reserve, Spanish goalkeeper.
"Villareal" hopes to qualify for the UEFA Cup matches again through the Intertoto tournament next season, as they finished only in 8th place in the Spanish league.
