DM Monitoring
LONDON: Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to his longtime Portugal teammate Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira ComM, known as Pepe on his X handle, formerly known as Twitter, as he announces retirement.
“There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me, friend,” Ronaldo posted on X.
Moreover, the captain of the Portugal national football team called their friendship the biggest achievement he has earned, media reported.
“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,” he continued.Despite facing a setback in the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 against France, the 41-year-old became the oldest player to appear at a European Championship finals tournament.
Following his retirement, Pepe posted an emotional video on social media and shed light on his journey as a footballer.
“I want to thank God for giving me the wisdom to be able to continue my journey,” Pepe said in a video on social media that looked back on his career.
The former player continued by expressing gratitude to the presidents and fellow players for believing in him.
“I can’t help but also 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,” he said in his video. “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. And thank you all very much.”
Pepe has played 10 seasons at Real Madrid, winning three La Liga titles, three Champions League trophies, and two FIFA Club World Cups.
Portugal’s former defender started his career in 2007 from Porto and returned to the Portuguese club in 2019, where he remained until the end of his career.
