After Luka Modric and Christiano Ronaldo stated their intentions of retiring at the Madrid club, the latest layer to join that brigade is none other than Portuguese defender Pepe. The Portuguese was invited as a special guest on the radio programme, El Larguero on Monday night and was asked a host of questions regarding his future.
Pepe spoke on a variety of issues with the show host ranging from his retirement in international football to his contract extension. Having scored at the weekend, the Portuguese went on to say that wearing the Portugal national jersey and representing the national team was a responsibility and was privileged enough to represent his nation.
When questioned whether he would want to finish his career at Real Madrid, the defender replied in the affirmative stating¸ “Yes, I'd love to”, as reported by AS News. He further went on to state that he would welcome an extension to his current contract given his family obligations.
Considered as one of the most aggressive defenders in his early days, the Portuguese these days combines aggression with maturity. His horror lashing out at Getafe player Casquero represents the violent nature of his early days as he was heavily criticised for the tackle then which resulted in a 10 game ban.
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Since then, Pepe has concentrated more on his positioning skills than his aggression and alongside Sergio Ramos, he has been at the heart of the Madrid defence. Having moved from Porto in the summer of 2007, the Portuguese has been an integral part of the side over the years. His early track record with the club was constantly hampered because of injuries and bans, but the arrival of Jose Mourinho along with Ricardo Carvalho has helped him with his on-field composure.
The Portuguese was also a member of the Portugal side which won the Euros in the summer. The best asset of the defender though has been the ability to put his team before self which has helped him earn the fans’ respect.
His questionable behaviour at times, especially his over the top acting in the Champions League final prompted tv pundit, Gary Lineker at the time to even tweet his dislike for the player’s antics. Sean Ingle of the Guardian was also very brutal in his assessment of the defender’s performance at the time calling his play acting a disgrace. Controversies seem to follow the defender but that hasn’t prevented him from changing his style.
