Star Footballer 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 his retirement on Thursday.
“There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me, friend,” Ronaldo posted on X.
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“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.”
Ronaldo and Pepe won several honours together, including three UEFA Champions Leagues and Portugal’s first-ever European Championship in 2016.
Pepe was also honoured by FC Porto, where he played 290 games across two spells as a player, including the final six years of his career.
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.
