Pepe will only be Sérgio Conceição's assistant, turns down Jorge Jesus | OneFootball

Pepe turned down the invitation made by the FPF to join the new coaching setup, led by Jorge Jesus, and the reason is now known. The former Portugal international spoke with Pedro Proença, but made it clear that he would only accept a role as assistant to Sérgio Conceição.

The experienced defender was also linked with Spain, where he could have joined José Mourinho’s coaching staff, but the answer was once again negative. A possible return to the Santiago Bernabéu would have reunited a duo that won several titles for Los Blancos between 2010 and 2013.

Pepe is 43 years old and is Portugal’s third most-capped player of all time, with 141 appearances. He became European champion in 2016 and shared the dressing room with many members of the current national team.

In the coming hours, the names of Jorge Jesus’s assistants will be revealed, as he is set to be presented this Friday as the new national team manager.

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