The person who cannot be overshadowed by Ronaldo's halo

After a difficult 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic, the Portuguese team needed an explosive performance to regain their confidence and inspiration to play football.

"Selecao" was determined to defeat Türkiye with a score of 3-0. At BVB Stadion Dortmund, Ronaldo took the spotlight with an extremely team-oriented situation, passing to Bruno Fernandes to score even though CR7 was one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

Ronaldo is still the most idolized player

On social media, people are buzzing that this superstar has changed, playing more as a team player and this is a positive sign to dream of a EURO championship. In addition, the moment he took a photo with a young fan who rushed onto the field also spread widely. Ronaldo's appeal is already great, now it is even greater when EURO 2024 is likely to be his last major tournament in his career when the former Real Madrid striker has turned 39. Every training session, every match or even every touch of the ball is always noticed.

But don't forget that Ronaldo is not the oldest player in the Portuguese squad. Pepe, who is 41 this year, deserves praise too. By appearing in Germany this summer, he will make history as the oldest player to play in a European Championship. That record will be very difficult to break.

Important 'veterans' in the Portuguese squad

More impressively, Pepe is still the leader of the Portuguese national team's defense, even though coach Roberto Martinez has young, strong and classy central defenders like Ruben Neves and Nuno Mendes. And what has Pepe done? He started 2 matches, played almost the entire match and is the player with the highest average score in the Portuguese national team's defense (7.2 points - according to Whoscored).

His performance against Türkiye was extremely impressive. He had a tackle accuracy rate of 75%, 7 clearances (the most in the match), and 1 interception. He cleared most of the opponent's crosses and continuously received cheers from Portuguese fans. "If you were a neutral fan and came to watch Portugal play, you would never believe he was 41 years old," coach Martinez praised the veteran central defender.

Pepe is still the solid 'shield' of the Portuguese team

In the Portuguese national team at this time, Pepe's professional mark is even greater than Ronaldo's. If CR7 is absent, coach Martinez still has many other attacking stars ready to replace him such as Diogo Jota, Goncalo Ramos... But if Pepe is not on the field, who will fill the gap of a defensive leader? Ruben Neves is still there, but he does not have enough "power" to "overwhelm" the opposing striker like Pepe as well as command his teammates.

Important as it is, Pepe will not mind if his brilliance is sometimes overshadowed by Ronaldo's halo. Because, he once promised: "I will only retire when Ronaldo does the same. As long as he is still in the Portuguese team, I will always be there to support him. He is the best player in Portugal."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-gia-gan-pepe-nguoi-chang-the-bi-hao-quang-cua-ronaldo-che-mo-185240626182025788.htm