He made his La Liga debut on 11 October 1964 in a 2–0 home win against Elche CF, aged only 18, and finished his first season with 26 appearances as his team ranked in fifth position.

[2] Reina joined FC Barcelona in the 1966 off-season, totalling only four league games in his first three years as he acted as understudy to both José Manuel Pesudo and Salvador Sadurní.

[3][2] Aged 27, Reina left Barça and signed for Atlético Madrid, rarely missing a game in his first five seasons and winning the 1977 national championship, his only in the competition.

[6] Previously, Reina was selected by manager José Villalonga for his 1966 World Cup squad in England, remaining on the bench for the entire tournament.

[7] In the 1970–71 season, Reina was only played by English coach Vic Buckingham away from the Camp Nou as the player was consistently booed by his own fans after a poor performance against FC Dynamo Moscow.