Real Madrid defender Pepe has claimed in an interview with Portuguese sports newspaper Record that Los Blancos “need to believe” they can win La Decima in order to conquer the Champions League this season.
The 31-year-old centre-back is enjoying one of the best moments of his career, having become a crucial piece of Carlo Ancelotti’s defence. He was key for Los Merengues to earn a record eight clean sheets in a row at the beginning of 2014.
Pepe has become a leader inside the Santiago Bernabeu’s changing room and that is tangible when he speaks to the press.
“We need to believe we can win La Decima. We are working hard for that and the truth is we are doing a good job both in La Liga and the Champions League. We also have the Copa del Rey final. We are in great shape at the best stage of the season. We are a solid and reliable team,” he told Record.
Pepe was asked about teammate Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of their friendly game against Cameroon. “He surprises us every day. He has no limits. His mentality makes him want always more. Every year he tries to beat his goal record, and that is why he stands out so much,” Pepe pointed out.
“As his friend and as a Portuguese, I’m very proud that he won his second Ballon d’Or. I was very happy, because he had deserved it for so long. I don’t think there are right words to describe what he’s doing at Real Madrid, his statistics… It would be hard to believe if I didn’t see him play every day. And it’s not only about statistics; when he scores, we never lose,” he added.
Pepe also gave his opinion about Carlo Ancelotti and the new playing style: “Everytime the manager changes there’s a period for adaptation and now we’re on that phase. We didn’t start well because he demanded different things and we didn’t understand quite well what he wanted from us. We worked, but weren’t able to bring those ideas to the field. Now we’re doing things as the boss requests and the results are positive.”
* Follow Alejandro Gonzalez on Twitter at @alejandrognieto
