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AFP Yonhap News |
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veteran Portuguese defender Pepe had a hard time holding back tears from the praise for him.
Pepe, who was born in 1983 and is 41 this year, was the oldest player to participate in Euro 2024. However, he was still the center of the Portuguese national team. Pepe, who did not miss out on the starting spot despite his 41-year-old age, struggled until Portugal dropped out of the quarter-finals against France to keep his defence.
The Portuguese reporter praised Pepe's performance despite his disappointing elimination. Pepe's eyes flushed when he heard the content.
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AFP Yonhap News |
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The British Tribune reported on the 7th (Korean time) that Pepe held back tears at the words of the reporter.
Tribuna"Pepe shared touching moment with reporter after heartbreaking defeat in penalty shootout. He is the oldest player in the tournament, and he showed outstanding performance to keep France out for 120 minutes. The Portuguese journalist thanked him for his tremendous contribution, and the defeat struggled to hold back the bursting tears.
The corresponding reporter told Pepe "I don't know what decision you're going to make about the future. But before your decision, congratulations to you for your fantastic career in the national team and for being a fantastic player as a defender. I think the Portuguese will celebrate as well. I want to hug you. I hope by the next time and everything will be fine," he said, thanking Pepe.
Pepe barely managed to hold back tears by covering his mouth with his hands when he heard the article, and even was shown hugging the reporter.
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AFP Yonhap News |
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Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, another veteran who played for Portugal, was at the center of criticism, unlike Pepe, who has become the center of praise. Some media questioned Ronaldo's continued start and pointed out that Ronaldo's performance in Euro 2024 was the worst. BBC says Ronaldo's statistics at Euro 2024 are abysmal. This is the first time Ronaldo has failed to score on the stage of a major tournament. Ronaldo's constant running seems ridiculous at times.
Ronaldo has said this is his last tournament since the last 16.
They are two veterans who finished the last Euro tournament, but one player finished with a tribute and one with a criticism.
digh1229@sportschosun.com