Pepe Reina on Luis Suarez: 'He's the kind of player that I especially like'

It's been two years since Pepe Reina and Luis Suarez played together at Liverpool, but the Spanish 'keeper still holds his former teammate in extremely high regard.

Reina and Suarez are set to meet as opponents Wednesday as Barcelona host Bayern Munich in the first leg of their mouthwatering semifinal clash in the Champions League. 

Although Reina will likely watch from the sidelines as Bayern's backup 'keeper, he admitted Monday that Bayern are worried about the "street player" who's notched six goals in the Champions League this season, including a brace against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals and another double versus Manchester City in the Round of 16.

"Luis deserves it, he has fought for it," Reina said, according to Sid Lowe of the Guardian. "He has had incredible seasons everywhere he has been (at Nacional, Groningen, Ajax and Liverpool) and because of that, because he performed year after year, he got the move to a huge club. Maybe it took longer than it should have, because he has deserved it for a long time."

The 32-year-old 'keeper continued:

He's the kind of player that I especially like. He's a street player and I mean that as a eulogy. He's alive, he's always on the edge, pushing, he's a born winner. In every training session at Liverpool, I wanted to be on his team, always. He always gritted his teeth, he never, ever gave anything up for lost. I think that's a huge part of the reason that he is the player he is today.

He finishes very well. He can produce a play in very little space, doing the kind of moves that only he would even think of. And beyond (enjoying) his talents as a player, I consider myself lucky to have been able to get to know Luis as a person. It's not just at Barcelona; I think wherever he goes he will build good relationships with his teammates because that's the kind of person he is, and that helps you to settle and integrate.