Pepê on Thiago Silva at FC Porto: “I got nervous, he commands respect” | OneFootball

Pepê reflected on some of FC Porto’s key moments this season in an interview with GloboEsporte, and one of them was Thiago Silva’s arrival at the club. A historic figure in world and Brazilian football, whose presence left the winger feeling nervous.

“I’ll be very honest: when he arrived here, I even said to William Gomes, ‘Thiago Silva is here.’ We were even a little nervous. It felt like we were the ones arriving at FC Porto and that he had already been here for a long time. A guy like him, who has won everything in football, with the experience and history he has, commands a lot of respect. Today we’re already more relaxed around him because he gives us freedom, but it’s very special to share the dressing room with such a successful player who is a global reference. We joke around with him a lot because the quality he has is absurd. What he shows in training and in matches is on a completely different level. You can clearly see that he’s a world-class player, with experience and quality that are out of the ordinary,” he said.

The winger also highlighted the presence of other Brazilians in the team: “It’s a really great vibe, a very special friendship. We know what Brazilians are like: cheerful, spontaneous. So having more Brazilians here makes the atmosphere even better. The friendship we have is unique; we’re always trying to help each other. And having Thiago Silva with us is fantastic. He has won everything in football and guides us a lot. That’s very important for our growth. William Gomes? I have a very good relationship with him. He’s a young guy who is in my heart because of what he represents as a person and as a professional. He works very hard, is very dedicated, and has above-average quality. I try to help him because, when I arrived here, I was also greatly helped by players like Otávio and Evanilson. Today I’m happy to be able to do that for him.”

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