Paulo Futre has reflected that Real Madrid Coach Jose Mourinho may have dropped Pepe for having felt ‘betrayed’ by him.
Seen previously as a keen supporter of Mourinho, Pepe crticised the Coach recently for not showing Iker Casillas enough respect and has since not been selected for the team.
“Mourinho has always defended him and didn't expect that from him in return. I think that's how he would have felt,” commented Futre this week.
“He gives everything for his players. He was one of his favourites and he might have felt betrayed by his comments.
“As a friend of Mourinho, I always hope he wins, unless it's against my team. With regard to Casillas, it's the manager's decision and there's no need to speculate.
“We don't know what the real problem is and should be speaking about Iker's proven ability. I believe it's a tactical matter and only the manager can answer the question.”
This Friday is the Copa del Rey Final between Real Madrid and Futre’s former side Atletico Madrid. The Portuguese scored the second in Atleti’s 1992 Copa del Rey Final 2-0 win over Madrid.
“The final could be the pay-back for all the kids who have not seen the team defeat Real Madrid for 14 years.
“In the week of the derby I would put a photo of [then Real Madrid goalkeeper] Paco Buyo in the bathroom, so that when I went to bed and got up I would see him and think about scoring past him.”
