Pepe Reina said that he endured one of the "worst moments of my life" as a result of the effects of Covid-19.
The 37-year-old goalkeeper is currently on loan with Aston Villa from AC Milan. He began to feel unwell nearly a fortnight ago.
"It is only now that I am winning the battle against coronavirus," the Spaniard told Corriere dello Sport.
I was very tired after experiencing the first symptoms of the virus. A fever, dry cough and a headache that never went away. It was just that constant feeling of tiredness.
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.
The only real fear I had was when I understood there was no oxygen: endless minutes of fear, as if suddenly my throat had closed. As a result I spent the first six or eight days indoors.
Reina went into self-isolation before Boris Johnson announced a lockdown last week. He told Spanish radio station Cope at the time that he felt "privileged" to live in a house where it would be easy.
"We have a big house, with a garden," he said.
"I think of the people who live in a 70m squared apartment with two children and for me they are people who are showing a lot of strength."
Picture credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com
