'You are one of a kind, my brother' - Cristiano Ronaldo leads emotional tributes to former Real Madrid and Portugal co-star Pepe after iconic defender confirms retirement - as Roberto Martinez & Porto also bid farewell

Real Madrid and Portugal legend Pepe announced his retirement on Thursday after 23 years as a professional footballer. The defender appeared in 742 matches for four different clubs including Porto, Real Madrid and Besiktas and earned 141 international caps. His final appearance for the Selecao came against France in Euro 2024 quarter-final.

As the veteran defender decided to hang up his boots, his former Real Madrid and Portugal colleague Ronaldo took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute as the star player wrote: "There are no words to express how much you mean to me, my friend. 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 one of a kind, my brother. Thank you for so much."

Portugal boss Roberto Martinez and Porto also joined the Al-Nassr forward in paying tribute to the 41-year-old. Martinez shared his message on a YouTube video released by the Portugal Football Federation as he said: "Dear Pepe, today is a very special day for you and your family, but also for Portuguese football. I would like to send you my best wishes. I will divide my message into two points. Firstly, congratulations. Congratulations on your career, a career full of successes, full of good times and good memories that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

"Secondly, thank you. Thank you for what you did for the national team, for what you did during your fifth European Championship, which is undoubtedly an example. You left a legacy for future generations of Portugal. Congratulations and thank you. May this be the beginning of a new stage full of happiness in your life, with your family."
The Dragons, from their Instagram page, wrote: "A career and a legacy that will always be an example for any Porto fan. There are only two possible words: congratulations and thank you."

After an extremely successful career which spanned over two decades, it remains to be seen if Pepe would return to football in the capacity of either a coach, pundit or something else.