As soon as the football calendar is announced, fans around the world – their favorite league or teams – usually circle a date above all: L Classico. The performance between Spanish giant Real Madrid and Barcelona is not just one match. This is a spectacle. And some players experienced their most intense, emotionally charged era, like Pepes, a quite Portuguese warrior, which was the mainstay of Real Madrid’s rescue.
Now, as he makes retirement easily, away from the deaf of Santiago Burnbuy or Camp Nu, Pepe finds himself in a new rhythm – playing in legends of legends. The 42 -year -old will take his shoes on this Sunday, this time at Die Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, where Real Madrid and Barcelona’s icon will re -awaken the fiery rivalry of football.
The leading Real Madrid would be the reputed Luis Figo, which was included by Fernando Morients, Michael Owen and, of course, Paype. On the other hand, Barcelona will be captained by Spain’s 2010 World Cup winning Skipper Carls Puol, who will reconnect with other famous names with Zevi, Riveldo, Jose Edmilson, Xavier Saviola.
For Pepe, those electrification echoes the echoes of El Classico Nights that they were yesterday. “Every classic against Barcelona was always special,” he reflects on the eve of legends. “But when Morinho and Guardiola were there … it was something else. Things became hot. It was intense – not only on the pitch, but around it.”
For players, it can only be football, but to see most, it was a type of theater. Morinho injected Real Madrid with a siege mentality, which was determined to strangle Barcelona on Spanish football. Meanwhile, Guardiola had converted the rest-tanka into an art, which orchestrated a side that had gone as a clock tomorrow. In that charged environment, defenders such as Pepe had to excavate a deep excavation to stop some of the best attackers of the game.
“There were quarrels,” Pepe accepted, a quota without regrets. “But football was always the winner. Because when people turned on their TV to watch those matches, they knew that they would watch a real battle. Coach, player, fan – all gave everything.”
This is no exaggeration. Between 2010 and 2012, El Classico, in addition to the most watched sports, was one of the most emotionally charged fixtures in football. But amidst anarchy, some of the most breathtaking football of the modern era came out.
The story continues below this advertisement
For Pepe, the era was defined by the Titanic Duality between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two people who became the face of that rivalry. “It was a cruelty,” Pepe says. “In those years in Spain, what Cristiano and Messi did … it was fantastic. I lived it inside, and it was a gift – for fans, for players.”
After being trained with Ronaldo Daily in Real Madrid, Paype has no doubt when asked who was the longest among the class elite.
“Cristiano,” he says, with strong belief. “He brought a lot for football, passion, discipline, ambition. I trained him in Italy, Portugal and every day with him. I know how difficult it was. What he gave to Madrid, to Manchester United, Juventus, Portugal, no one else did not do so.”
While Ronaldo and Messi made headlines, it was a terrible, incredible rescue of players such as Peppe and Sergio Ramos for Madrid, and Puol and Gerrard Pick for Barca, which cleverly transformed every encounter into complicated cases.
The story continues below this advertisement
Asked about the preparations to face the world’s best attackers, Pepe says that defenders always start on the back leg, but have to consider their rivals. “Before the game, I used to study closely.
From the pitch, however, Paye knew once for the defender fans of the firebrand. He is calm, thoughtful and even philosopher. And in Mumbai, he is embracing his new role as an ambassador to the game. “I am happy to come here,” they say. “Even as a legend game, this match matters a lot for Indian football. It can inspire children to play, to dream. And if this more investment brings more infrastructure, we are proud to be a part of it.”
Settings cannot be Santiago burnbuy or camp nu. But for one night in Navi Mumbai, L Classico’s magic is ready to revive, which gives Indian fans a rare, above a rare, above the most well -organized rivalry of football. And stands long on the back, as he always did, would be peep. He is still fierce, is still sharp, and, remarkably, is still immaculate fit.
