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Cristiano Ronaldo has made an honest admission about former Real Madrid and Portugal national teammate Pepe. The former center-back announced his decision to hang up his illustrious boots in August.
Ronaldo and Pepe shared the pitch for eight years from 2009 to 2017 with Los Blancos. They played together 348 times for the Spanish giants and Portugal. The duo has often publicly expressed admiration for one another.
During their time together at Santiago Bernabéu, they won several accolades. They include two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey, one Supercopa de España, three UEFA Champions League titles, one UEFA Super Cup, and two FIFA Club World Cups.
About the former defender on his YouTube channel, UR · Cristiano, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner said (via Madrid Xtra on X):
"Pepe? He’s boss on the pitch and outside the pitch he’s a great guy."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe have represented Portugal for 17 years. The Selecao were eliminated from the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 by France, which was the former defender's last time on the pitch. The 41-year-old was seen breaking down and being consoled by Ronaldo at the end of the clash.
After Pepe announced his retirement, Cristiano Ronaldo made a post on his official Instagram account, referring to their bond as one of their "biggest achievements." The post read (as translated from Portuguese):
"No words to express how much you mean to me my friend. We won everything there was to win on the field, but the biggest achievement is the friendship and respect I have for you. You are unique my brother Thank you for so much."
Ronaldo and Pepe won the 2016 UEFA European Championship and the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League together for Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo names Real Madrid as the ‘best club ever’ in football
Cristiano Ronaldo has named one of his former clubs, Real Madrid as the best ever in football history. The Portuguese captain has some of the most significant achievements of his footballing career at Los Blancos.
Ronaldo arrived at Santiago Bernabéu from Manchester United in the summer of 2009 for a then world-record fee of £89 million. He lifted four out of his five UEFA Champions League trophies with the Spanish giants and also won four out of his five Ballons d'Or with them.
Cristiano Ronaldo is Real Madrid's all-time top goalscorer, recording 450 goals and 131 assists in 438 appearances across competitions. About the La Liga giants on his YouTube channel with former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand, the Al-Nassr striker said (via @MadridXtra):
"Real Madrid is the best club ever in history."
After nine prolific years at Santiago Bernabéu, Ronaldo joined Serie A side Juventus in 2018 for a reported €100 million fee.
