Portugal privileged to have "humble" Ronaldo, says Pepe
Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick against Spain came as no surprise to Portugal team-mate Pepe who played alongside him during their time together at Real Madrid.
Portugal defender Pepe labelled it a "privilege" for the nation to have a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the star's start to the World Cup came as no surprise. Cristiano stole the show in Friday's game in Sochi, scoring a hat-trick to lead his side to a 3-3 draw against Spain.
Par for the course for Cristiano, says Pepe
"To me, it's nothing new," Pepe enthused. "We had a fantastic match and it was very important the fact that he's so humble on the pitch and working to help the team. We are very happy with him and his performance and the performance of the other players. We work with a single goal – to honour our country and our shirt."
Cristiano level with the legendary Puskás
That hat trick puts Cristiano on 84 international goals, level with Ungary legend Ferenc Puskás who hold the recordfor the most goals by any European player.
Pepe, whose team face Morocco later today, said it was an honour to play alongside Cristiano. "He's very happy to be with us and he's full of confidence every day, in every match," he said. "It's a privilege for us, Portugal, to have a player like Cristiano Ronaldo."