Pepe only had five euros at beginning of career

Pepe has been talking to magazine 'Tribuna Expresso', who have published another chapter of a long interview in which the defender has covered all the aspects of his career. 

At the age of 18, he travelled from Brazil to Portugal to play for Maritimo. He began his career with financial problems. In fact, he only had five euros. 

"When I arrived, I had what are now five euros. I was in the Foreigner's office because I came on my own from Brazil at the age of 18. A fax should have come from Maritimo saying that I had to enter Portugal, so with that money I had to buy a phone card to ring my mother and tell her I was fine," he recalled. 

The central defender preferred to use that money on a phone call instead of buying food, so then he had to look for a solution in the airport. 

"I first thought about calming my mother instead of buying food. I had a flight at 11pm at night and I had to eay so I went to 'Pans and Company' in the airport and I asked and employee if he had something to eat and then he didn't have money. Then he looked at me and then he came out with a baguette on a tray," he continued. 

Pepe said that that had an impact on the rest of his life: "Since then I'm really keen on helping others because it was something which affected me a lot. That person didn't know who I was and I didn't know him either. That gesture helped me for the rest of my life."