The Portugal captain has published on his YouTube channel the second part of his conversation with his former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand. Real Madrid, the club he represented for nine years (2009 to 2018), the transfer of Mbappé and the longevity of Pepe are some of the topics discussed.
Real Madrid : “They seem to be doing very well. They are a team that does not give in to pressure. People say they are lucky. No, they have a mentality that allows them to prepare for these moments. The energy is different at the Bernabéu. For me, they are the best club in the history of football.”
Kylian Mbappé : “I think they will continue to be strong, but I don’t know if they will be better than last year. We’ll see. They have a fantastic team, fantastic players, they will continue to be a great team. Mbappé will play well, the club has a good structure, a great coach and a president who knows the club well. He won’t have too many problems, everything will go well. He can be the next Ballon d’Or, it will be him, Haaland, Bellingham, Lamine Yamal.”
Son passage au Real Madrid : “I won everything there, I broke the goalscoring record, it was a pleasure to play there. I loved the club. I was the most expensive player in history, there was pressure, but I thought ‘I was the best in the Premier League, I won the Ballon d’Or in the Champions League’. I knew it was going to go well. I was 24, I was young, but I was very positive. I wanted to make history, like at Manchester United. I like to prove people wrong.”
Pepe : “He played two extra-time games at the European Championship. People don’t recognise that. It’s a question of mentality. When you get to a certain age, it’s not the body that counts, it’s the head. It’s all there, if you want to play for another four or five years. The average is between 30 and 40 in all sports, you start to lose skills, it’s normal. But Pepe and I have treated our bodies well for so many years that the difference is made in the head.
Longevity: “If you don’t have enthusiasm in your life. Last night I had dinner with my mother and we talked about the European Championship. I’m addicted to football.”
Toni Kroos : “That’s his way of seeing football, his way of seeing life. We have to respect that. As you see today, players play late, but we are not all the same. I respect him because he said he was going to retire and he did. Could he play a few more years? Yes.”
