Pepe has reflected on the ‘injustice’ he sees in Cristiano Ronaldo’s struggles to win the Ballon d’Or.
The defender was talking ahead of Portugal’s play-off double header this week with Sweden for a place at the World Cup.
The game is being billed as a meeting between Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“I came up against Ibrahimovic in preseason with Real Madrid and he is a great player,” began Pepe to reporters today.
“The most important thing is that we [Portugal] know what to do, to be very focused and work as a team.
“Cristiano or Ibra? They are two great players, but what Cristiano does has no comparison. He has some unimaginable numbers and is the best in the world.
“Again at this point there is no comparison.”
Pepe was asked for his view on FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s recent assertion that Ronaldo is ‘a commander on the field’.
“We know that for his numbers it is not normal that he has won only one Ballon d’Or, having been at seven or eight galas.
“And that just proves that many things happen inside the game of football. Now we can see what happens.
“It is an injustice, what is happening to Cristiano. Hopefully he can win the Ballon d’Or but this situation has opened the eyes of many people.”
The defender was prompted for comment on his contract situation with Madrid.
“I have not improved my contract with Madrid.
“Two or three years ago I reached an agreement with the club but it has still not been improved.”
