FORMER Real Madrid defender Pepe has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo once stayed with him at the hospital all night when he suffered a serious injury.
The duo spent eight years together at Real Madrid in the peak of their careers.
They also enjoyed almost two decades playing alongside each other for the Portuguese national team and became close friends as a result.
Now, recently-retired Pepe has opened up about the time Ronaldo went above and beyond to support him and his family.
During a match against Valencia in 2012, the defender collided with goalkeeper Iker Casillas and was rushed to hospital with a serious head injury.
He spent the night under supervision and received support from his team-mate, who stayed with his family for the entire duration.
Speaking to Portuguese radio network Renascenca, Pepe said: “Look, I have a moment with Cris that will never leave my memory. Even though I lost my memory, I missed a part of that game.
“It was in the first game of the championship against Valencia. I got hit by Iker, I cracked my head open and went to the hospital.
“I still played in the game [before that]. There were five minutes left, I came on after half-time and, that’s it, from then on I don’t remember anything else.
“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.
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“Afterwards, I went to ask my family what had happened, to my wife, who was five days away from having my oldest daughter, Angeli, and on the news I saw that Cris had been there in the hospital!
“And I didn’t even notice him! And then, of course, my mother was there, also worried because she had come to see the birth of my daughter, my mother and my father.
“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 announced his retirement from football last August, putting an end to his 22-year playing career.
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