Pepe: Madrid Always Favourites
Real Madrid defender Pepe spoke at length about the expectations at the club, as well as his feelings before and after he joined the Merengue camp.
Real Madrid defender Pepe spoke at length about the expectations at the club, as well as his feelings before and after he joined the Merengue camp.
Madrid are currently one point clear at the top of the table with a game in hand, and finished top in their Champions League group too.
They now take on Osasuna on Sunday evening, a match which will set the tone for El Clasico next week.
"Real Madrid are always a favourite team to win because of their history," Pepe told Grada Blanca.
"The team always tries to win wherever it plays. The players know the responsibility they have and that they need to do things well."
"Our mission is to be leaders by Christmas. We must have a strong start [against Osasuna] to the game in order to take the three points without problems."
"We know every team is motivated when it plays at the Bernabéu, so we must concentrate hard."
Asked about his idols, he said: "I always liked Fernando Hierro a lot. I also liked a Brazilian player named Blanco and named Ricardo Gómez. They were role models for me because of their professional character and their quality."
On his route to the club, he said: "Madrid have always been the best club in the world and I always worked very hard to make it here."
"I knew that if I played for Real Madrid I would take a very important step in my career, do things that I wouldn't be able to do anywhere else, and enjoy football more."
"I was very happy when I learned that Real Madrid was interested in my work. I told my agents that my first choice would always be to come here."
"The offer I was made by the Club gave me a lot of confidence and when things are done professionally and with honesty they tend to turn out well. I gradually improve every day to reach an optimum level of performance. I had a complicated month because of the injury I sustained, but I worked hard with the recovery experts and managed to come back."
"I enjoy every day I spend here. I want to defend this shirt and badge as if they were my family's because the Club's confidence in me has changed my life. If things turn out well I will have to thank many people, especially the fans."