Cristiano Ronaldo has sent an emotional message to Pepe after the Portugal icon announced his retirement at the age of 41.
The veteran, who had spells with Real Madrid, Besiktas, Maritimo and Porto during his club career, also made 141 appearances for his country.
The Portugal icon is hanging up his boots just weeks after Euro 2024, with his country crashing out to France in the quarter-finals.
Pepe confirmed the news by saying: "I can't help but thank all the presidents who bet and believed in me to be able to perform my work.
Cristiano Ronaldo has sent an emotional message to Portugal icon Pepe after the defender announced his retirement from football at the age of 41
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"To all the employees of all the clubs I've been to, who are the soul and essence of the clubs and the national team.
"And I want to thank everyone in the background. I want to leave a thank-you and a hug of gratitude for all of you."
Ronaldo is one of two players to feature for Portugal more than Pepe over the years.
And the Al-Nassr star, writing on Instagram, paid tribute to his 'friend' while sharing snaps of the pair together.
"No words to express how much you mean to me my friend," he said.
"We won everything there was to win on the field, but the biggest achievement is the friendship and respect I have for you. You are unique my brother
"Thank you for so much."
Ronaldo and Pepe won Euro 2016 with Portugal, who beat France 1-0 in the final that year courtesy of a stunning strike from Eder.
They were also team-mates at Real Madrid, helping Los Blancos claim three Champions League titles together.
Fans loved Ronaldo's message to Pepe, with one user saying: "The two who put Portugal on the map."
A second said: "I'm not crying you are."
A third reacted by saying: "For a sec I got scared imagining Cristiano's announcement, Almighty please give me power to withstand the sadness of it."
And a fourth said: "Two legends who marked my childhood a lot."
While Pepe is hanging up his boots, Ronaldo continues to play.
The 39-year-old will be hoping to win his first league title with Al-Nassr this season, having missed out on the prize to Al Hilal last term.
Ronaldo toiled at the European Championships, failing to score a single goal as his side's pursuit of glory ended unsuccessfully.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe were team-mates at Real Madrid in addition to shining together for Portugal
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But Ronaldo has no plans to walk away from football just yet.
He has previously indicated he'd love to play at the 2026 World Cup. Whether he can get there remains to be seen, especially with his magic starting to wane.
