Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to his longtime Portugal teammate Pepe after the defender announced his retirement from football on Thursday at the age of 41.
Pepe’s last game came at Euro 2024, where Portugal were defeated by France on penalties in the quarterfinals, and he became the oldest player to appear at a European Championship finals tournament.
He made 141 appearances for Portugal, only behind Ronaldo (211) and João Moutinho (146).
Pepe, Ronaldo and Moutinho were members of the Portugal team that beat host nation France 1-0 in the 2016 European Championship final.
“There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me, friend,” Ronaldo posted on X.
“We won everything there was to win on the field, but the greatest achievement is the friendship and respect I have for you. You are unique, my brother. Thank you for so much.”
Pepe also spent 10 seasons at Real Madrid — eight of them alongside Ronaldo — where he won three LaLiga titles and three Champions League trophies, as well as two FIFA Club World Cups.
Pepe joined the Spanish side in 2007 from Porto, and returned to the Portuguese club in 2019 where he remained until the end of his career, winning four Primeira Liga titles across his two spells at the club.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
