"He's the best player of all time" - Pepe on former teammate

Former Real Madrid defender Pepe believes Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player of all time. The two played alongside each other for eight years (from 2009 to 2017) at Real Madrid and currently play together for the Portugal national team.

Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo won three La Ligas, three Champions Leagues and two Copa Del Rey's during their time together at Real Madrid. During those eight years, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or four times.

Cristiano Ronaldo has come under heavy criticism in recent weeks due to the poor performances of his Juventus side. Pepe's Porto knocked the Italian side out of the Champions League.

The Bianconeri are also currently in fourth place in the Serie A table, ten points behind leaders Inter Milan. The Coppa Italia remains the only chance for Juventus to win silverware this season.

Despite his side enduring a shaky season, Cristiano Ronaldo has been in scintillating goal-scoring form. The Portuguese has scored 31 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions for the Italian giants this season.

Ronaldo's former Real Madrid team-mate Pepe heaped praise on the 36-year-old, saying:

"I admire Cristiano Ronaldo a lot, for me he's the best player of all time. Ronaldo managed to do what no one else did. He won in England, Spain, Italy and even in Portugal. He was our captain, many people criticize him without knowing who he really is," Pepe told TNT Sports.

"Ronaldo was with me at Real Madrid when Casillas knocked me out twice. On one occasion Cristiano came to see me in the hospital, because he saw that my injury was a serious one."

A clip of Cristiano Ronaldo chatting to Pepe during Juventus vs. Porto has surfaced online and it looks very awkward now 👀😳https://t.co/bJdlm6YMom

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) March 23, 2021

Juventus will look to build a squad around Cristiano Ronaldo for next season

Luxembourg v Portugal - FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar Qualifier

Juventus' poor performances on the field this season have forced the club's hierarchy to plan a squad revamp this summer.

Many fans and pundits believe the club could look to part ways with Cristiano Ronaldo due to his age and the enormity of his wages.

Cristiano Ronaldo has spent 299 career minutes on the pitch against Pepe and never scored a goal.Luckily, Pepe has played more games with Ronaldo than any other team-mate. 😉 pic.twitter.com/Ng8s6sFU6r

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 10, 2021

Andrea Pirlo will, however, look to keep his best players at the club this summer and will look to build a squad around Cristiano Ronaldo to challenge for silverware next season.