Last Updated:
Pepe opened up about his experience of playing alongside Ronaldo as the duo shared the dressing room at Real Madrid for nearly a decade besides representing the Portugal national team together.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe. (X)
Former Real Madrid defender Pepe lavished immense praise on Cristiano Ronaldo before facing Barcelona Legends in a showpiece El Clasico in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, April 6. On the eve of the big-ticket fixture, Pepe appeared in a press conference where he opened up about his experience of playing alongside Ronaldo. The duo shared the dressing room at Real Madrid for nearly a decade, besides representing the Portugal national team together. They also went up against each other on several occasions after both parted ways with the La Liga giants.
During his time in the Spanish capital, Pepe got to play against Barcelona legend Lionel Messi. The Portuguese centre-back might have had a hard time stopping Messi on the pitch. But, as an opponent, Ronaldo seemed “more challenging” to him.
When asked about the player he found tougher to defend against, Pepe said, “If I had to choose, I would say Cristiano because he’s someone who has given a lot to football, especially his passion and his effort,” as quoted by Times of India.
“Also I’ve been training with him for a long time, so I know him and he’s been my teammate, so I know what training with him is like. He’s a player that has given a lot to Real Madrid, to Manchester United, to Juventus and the Portuguese national team, so he’s worked hard,” the 42-year-old explained further.
Pepe was a key component of Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid side that shared an intense rivalry with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona between 2010 and 2012. Reminiscing about those days, the 42-year-old said, “Every single Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona that I played has been very special, and I got the opportunity to enjoy some of them.”
“When Mourinho and Guardiola were there, things kind of heated up from both sides. But keeping aside those fights, I think football always won because people got to focus and enjoy the match in a better atmosphere,” he recalled.
With Pepe at the heart of their defence, Real Madrid put up a dominant performance in the recent ‘Legends Face-Off’ at the DY Patil Stadium. Fernando Morientes broke the deadlock for Madrid early in the first half while David Barral struck the second in the 69th minute to ensure a 2-0 victory.
