Veteran centre-back Pepe has praised the positive impact Cristiano Ronaldo is having on the Portuguese national team, even though the prolific striker is yet to score at Euro 2024.
Ronaldo has become the first player to play in six European Championships, and despite starting all three of Portugal’s group games, the 39-year-old has yet to break two other records – being the first to score in six Euros and being the oldest goalscorer. But Pepe, who holds the record for oldest player to appear at a Euro, said: “Cristiano lives to score goals, that’s true. But have you seen him ready to play for the national team? It’s unbelievable. He’s the player who has played the most in our team, at 39.”
But Pepe is confident that Ronaldo, who won the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 with 5 goals, will shine. The Al Nassr star enters this summer’s tournament after scoring a record 35 goals for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro-League. Ronaldo also kicked off Euro 2024 with 2 goals in a 3-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in a friendly match on June 11, thereby increasing the international scoring record of men’s soccer to 130 goals. “He is doing very well,” Pepe added about Ronaldo. “He will play very well in the final stages of this tournament. I’m sure he will bring us a lot of joy.”
Portugal won their opening two games in Germany but were surprisingly beaten 2-0 by Georgia in their final group game. They face Slovenia on Monday in the last 16. “We know the journey will not be easy,” said Pepe. “It’s not like that and we know that. You have to play 90 minutes and if necessary 120 minutes. We want to give our best for our country and that’s what we will do in the next game.”
Pepe, like Ronaldo, is still a mainstay as he lifted the 2016 European Championship.Pepe, like Ronaldo, lifted the European Championship in 2016. The 41-year-old defender said: “I’m very happy to be part of this team, it’s a privilege. The secret of aging? It is a passion for football. I’ve said many times that it’s a privilege to be able to do what I love most, with intense focus and competitiveness, which is what I have. The love I put into every action, in training and in matches.”
When asked if he would retire from the national team after Euro 2024, Pepe – who has represented Portugal since 2007 – said: “I haven’t thought about that yet. My focus is on the next training session, on the next match. That’s the most important thing to me and to Portugal right now.”
Pepe will also become a free agent in July after FC Porto confirmed that his contract will not be renewed beyond this summer. Pepe said: “To be honest, I don’t think about it much. The future belongs to God, today I have a lot of things to worry about, like how I will protect my teammates in the upcoming training sessions, how I will recover for tomorrow’s training session. Those are my concerns.”
