"Biggest achievement is the friendship and respect I have for you" - Cristiano Ronaldo sends message to retiring Pepe
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has heaped praise on his international teammate Pepe, who announced his retirement from the game on Thursday (August 8). The duo have played together for A Selecao for more than a decade.
One of the best centre-backs of his generation, the 41-year-old Pepe draws curtains on his illustrious career for club and country spanning more than two decades.
Since making his club debut way back in the 2001-02 season, Pepe has notched up 42 goals and 36 assists in 737 games across competitions for Maritimo, Porto, Real Madrid and Besiktas.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, penned an emotional message for his 'brother,' admitting his 'friendship' and 'respect.' The Al-Nassr forward posted on Instagram (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."
Meanwhile, Pepe said in a YouTube message (as per BBC) to announce his retirment decision:
"I can't help but thank all the presidents who bet and believed in me to be able to perform my work. To all the employees of all the clubs I've been to, who are the soul and essence of the clubs and the national team.
"And I want to thank everyone in the background. I want to leave a thank-you and a hug of gratitude for all of you."
Pepe's last involvement with club or country was at Euro 2024, where Portugal lost 5-3 on penalties to France in the quarter-finals after a goalless 120 minutes.
How Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe fared together for club and country
Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo are legendary players in their own right, having played for club and country for over two decades, with the latter still going strong as he heads into the 2024-25 season.
Apart from being teammates with Portugal since 2007, the duo also played together at Real Madrid for the entirety of Ronaldo's nine-season stint at the Santiago Bernabeu.
In terms of numbers, Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo appeared together on the pitch 348 times for club and country, recording nine joint goal contributions, with seven of them scored by Ronaldo.
During their time together at the Bernabeu, the duo won four UEFA Champions League titles - including an unprecedented three on the trot between 2016 and 2018 - and two La Liga titles, among other domestic and continental honours. They also won Euro 2016 and the 2019 UEFA Nations League with Portugal.