'Real Madrid exploit you until you have nothing left to give'
Pepe left the Bernabeu to start a new chapter in his career with Besiktas over the summer and if these comments are anything to go by, he'll never forget his time with Real...
In a recent interview with 'Globo Esporte', Pepe's father and other members of his family discussed the experienced defender's career and they certainly didn't hold back.
They discussed everything about the player's footballing journey, from his time in the grassroots game to eventually making it to Maritimo and then Porto, but what was really of interest to the interviewer was when Pepe's family got on to the subject of his time in the Spanish capital.
"Those clubs take players and squeeze every last drop they can get out of them. When they get tired of doing that and the players have nothing left to give, they treat them like they're worthless. The players, when they have something about them and realise that their career is passing them by and they've already won everything there is to win, have to make sure that they keep improving," explained the player's father, Anael.
"When a player has only a year left on their contract clubs usually call the players to discuss a renewal, but Pepe received no such call. Later, when they did eventually get in touch they offered him the same as he was already earning. He turned down the offer, saying that he would see out the rest of his contract and leave on a free," he added.
Finally, Anael also revealed that clubs from the CSL made offers to his son during the summer, as did French giants PSG, whilst Jose Mourinho was also interested in the Portuguese.