Pepe says Ronaldo is 'fine' after World Cup exit
Pepe says Cristiano Ronaldo is "fine" after his emotional response to Portugal's shock defeat to Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Ronaldo was left out of the starting line-up by Portugal coach Fernando Santos for the second straight game after his angry reaction to being substituted against Korea Republic in the final group match.
Youssef En-Nesyri scored a towering header to give Morocco the lead, and despite Ronaldo's introduction shortly after half-time, Portugal was unable to find an equaliser as it was dumped out of the tournament.
The loss elicited an emotional reaction from Ronaldo as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner left the field in tears, before a social media post saw him accept his "most ambitious dream" of winning a World Cup with Portugal was over.
While Ronaldo held off from making a definitive call on his international future, Pepe feels the forward should be appreciated for his efforts in a Portugal shirt whatever he decides to do.
"Ronaldo is fine," Pepe told reporters after arriving back in Lisbon. "He's our Portuguese flag. He reaches all parts of the world.
"He gave us his contribution when he was called. We have to thank him and all his team-mates who did their best to be available for the coach."
Despite Santos's contract running until 2024, it is rumoured he may step down after this World Cup disappointment.
Asked about his national team coach's future, Pepe explained: "I'm a player, I don't have to talk about it. I'm not going to go down that path.
"Unfortunately, we didn't achieve the goal we wanted. We tried to give everything to honour our country.
"It's football. There are these things. We have to learn from what happened so that the future is better for us."
Portugal's next match is against Liechtenstein in its opening Euro 2024 qualifier on 23 March.
