"He told me: 'If it’s about money, I’ll give up my money and give it to you'" - Pepe reveals Cristiano Ronaldo gesture while leaving Real Madrid

Former Real Madrid defender Pepe has recalled Cristiano Ronaldo's gesture while he was leaving the club as the Madrid legend turned 40 on Wednesday (February 5).

Pepe spent 10 successful years with the Spanish giants, including eight with Ronaldo, before leaving in the summer of 2017. Together, they won three UEFA Champions and two La Liga titles, among multiple honours. Explaining what Ronaldo told him when Pepe explained his reason to exit Madrid (as per noticiasoneminuto.com):

"My time at the club had come, because it was a very demanding 10 years, where I gave up a lot of time. I tried to explain to him that I could no longer be there due to the difficulties I was having at the time and he said: 'If it's about the money, mate, I'll give up my money to give it to you!"

Pep continued, recalling another Ronaldo gesture:

"It was in the first game of the championship against Valencia. I got hit by Iker (Casillas), I cracked my head open, and I went to hospital. I remember that when I woke up the next day in the hospital, I was still wearing my Real Madrid kit tied to the bed.

"Afterwards, I went to ask my family what had happened, and on the news I saw that Cris had been there in the hospital! Cris was there practically the whole night with me, with my family. Not with me, with my family, because I was in the room. But he was there, giving me strength and some of the comments he made just show the affection we have for each other."

Pepe and Ronaldo also won Euro 2016 together with Portugal, beating hosts France 1-0 after extra time in the Paris final.

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How did Pepe's former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo fare at Real Madrid?

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the game's history and its most prolific scorer, with 922 goals for club and country. Nearly half of them - 450 in 438 games across competitions - came during his illustrious nine-season stint at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner won two La Liga and four UEFA Champions League titles - three of them on the trot - among numerous domestic and continental silverware.

Since leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, Pepe's former club teammate turned out for Juventus and Manchester United. Ronaldo currently plies his trade at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.