Sportskeeda Football Awards 2016: 10 best footballers of the year 2016 - Part 1 - #10 to #6

#7 Pepe

What a year he has had!

Reaching the twilight of his career Pepe seems to have a much calmer head now along with his trademark crunching tackles. The aforementioned combination has yielded to what can be easily termed as the best year of his career.

Under Fernando Santos’ able guidance, Pepe marshalled Portugal’s defence at Euro 2016 and played a pivotal role in helping them win their first major honour on the international stage.

Before his heroics with his country, Pepe had helped Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid en route to their 11th European triumph.

Now, the Portuguese may be headed towards the exit door of the Santiago Bernabeu but it is only after helping them have one of the best seasons in recent memory.