FC Porto’s veteran defender Pepe said it’s his turn to ‘pass on’ what Jorge Costa taught him when he was a youngster at the club.
The Portugal international spoke to UEFA.com ahead of the crucial match against Juventus in the Champions League tonight.
Porto are 2-1 up after the first leg at the Estadio do Dragao and Pepe said part of his task will be to help ‘the central players’ prepare for the big games.
FC Porto’s veteran defender Pepe said it’s his turn to ‘pass on’ what Jorge Costa taught him when he was a youngster at the club.
The Portugal international spoke to UEFA.com ahead of the crucial match against Juventus in the Champions League tonight.
Porto are 2-1 up after the first leg at the Estadio do Dragao and Pepe said part of his task will be to help ‘the central players’ prepare for the big games.
“When I was young at Porto, I had a lot of pressure,” Pepe told UEFA.com. “It was a great challenge to replace a great centre-back like Ricardo Carvalho.
“Jorge Costa helped me a lot. He was a legend of the club, like Vitor Baia. He made me understand what it meant to wear the Porto shirt.
“They called him the animal, but he was our animal.”
At 24, Pepe moved to Real Madrid and said he ‘felt ready thanks to the experience’ with the Portuguese giants.
“For a young player, leaving a league with less visibility and being able to play with [Fabio] Cannavaro or Sergio Ramos was a great challenge,” Pepe continued.
“But I felt ready thanks to the experience with Porto. Being a defender is my passion, even more so for Real Madrid.”
After 10 years with Los Blancos, the 38-year-old moved to Besiktas in Turkey before he returned to Porto in January 2019.
“One of Porto’s objectives is to prepare the central players for each match,” he said. “I have to pass on what Jorge Costa taught me: I’m trying to do the same today.
“At the end of the game, I need to know that I gave my best, regardless of whether I won or lost."