Pepê: “FC Porto are no good? It’s strange hearing certain things” | OneFootball

After helping FC Porto win their 31st national league title, Pepê looked back on the season this Sunday.

Speaking to “Flashscore”, the 29-year-old Brazilian winger first explained that the squad had an obligation to respond after a “very difficult” 2024/25 season.

“No one was used to what happened last year. We knew it couldn’t happen again and that we needed to do things differently. We tried to help especially the players who had just arrived, to welcome them in the best possible way so they would feel at home. That’s what happened, and it allowed them to show what they can do on the pitch. I think that was key to turning things around and having an incredible season,” he said, also playing down talk of excessive celebrations: “The season was very demanding. After so long without winning, we knew we needed to give a response, especially on the pitch. That’s what we tried to do throughout the whole season. We managed to bring the title back to our fans and to the club. And of course, after such an intense season, we ended up celebrating in the best way possible.”

Pepê also spoke about how the Porto structure tried to “shield” the dressing room from outside criticism, especially that coming from rivals Sporting, through president Frederico Varandas.

“It doesn’t really interfere with our work. We’re very well shielded from that. We know that what matters is showing it on the pitch. We try to focus on our work and on improving what we need to improve. Outside noise doesn’t get in here. They said FC Porto don’t play anything? It’s strange to hear certain things. Then there were a few jokes among the players, but that never defined us or got into our heads. We know exactly what we have to do on the pitch,” he stressed.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.