Pepê: “Thiago Silva? Sharing a dressing room with an icon is special” | OneFootball

Pepê recently completed his fifth season with FC Porto, in a spell marked by Thiago Silva’s arrival in the winter transfer window, a moment that coincided with the Brazilian forward’s time at the club.

In an interview with globoesporte, Pepê admitted he was amazed by the signing of the experienced centre-back and by the conversations he had with William Gomes, also acknowledging how nervous he felt being alongside a “world-class reference”.

“I’ll be honest. When he arrived at the club, I even said to William Gomes: ‘Thiago Silva is here.’ We were even a little nervous. It felt like we had just arrived at FC Porto and he had already been here for a long time. A man like him, who has won everything in football, with the experience and history he has, commands enormous respect. Today we’re a bit more relaxed because he gives us freedom, but it’s very special to share the dressing room with a world-class reference,” he said.

Pepê also recalled Hulk as one of the biggest names in FC Porto’s history, especially because of how the former Fluminense winger’s name is still mentioned. Without forgetting his idol, Neymar, the 29-year-old says he draws inspiration from his compatriot’s “joy” in everything he does on the pitch.

“When I arrived in Porto, everyone talked about Hulk. Even today they still do. He is one of the biggest idols in the club’s history. I always heard that if I were to follow the path of a Brazilian player who had played for FC Porto, it should be his. I always tried to do that so that one day, who knows, I might come close to his level,” he added.

“Neymar is my biggest idol in football. I’ve followed him since I was little and I take a lot of inspiration from the joy he has always had for playing football, as well as his boldness on the pitch. I had the pleasure of meeting him and it was a dream for me. He’s the star of our generation. He showed up during the Copa América to greet the lads and I got nervous, just like what happened with Thiago Silva,” he commented.

This season, Pepê recorded four goals and six assists in 48 appearances for the blue-and-whites’ first team.

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