Pepê: “FC Porto don't play well? It's strange hearing some things” | OneFootball

After helping FC Porto win their 31st national championship title, Pepê reflected 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 could not 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 is what happened, and it allowed them to show what they can do on the pitch. I think that was crucial for us to turn things around and have an incredible season,” he stressed, also downplaying talk of excessive celebrations: “The season was very draining. After so long without winning, we knew we needed to provide an answer, especially on the pitch. That is what we tried to do throughout the 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 does not really interfere with our work. We are very well protected from that. We know that what matters is showing it on the pitch. We try to focus on our work and improve what we need to improve. The outside noise does not get in here. They said FC Porto do not play any football? It is 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 very well what we have to do on the pitch,” he said.

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