It is natural for the Portguese defender to have issues concerning his discipline on the pitch. At the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, he was involved in an ugly incident which apparently went unseen by the match’s officials.
Pepe was captured stamping on Lionel Messi’s hand. The Real Madrid defender escaped punishment but his behavior evidently drew reaction from El Clasico spectators. Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere instantly posted the following message on his Twitter account:
“Poor from Pepe!”
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney also wrote:
“Pepe. What an idiot. Sometimes people wind u up.”
After Abidal scored the winner a few minutes later thanks to Messi’s great work, Rooney added:
“Haha. That goal serves pepe right.”
When quizzed on this topic by reporters after the game, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho answered:
“I haven't seen it, but obviously if it is deliberate he will be punished. What I can say is that he did a great job for the team.”
Like Mourinho, Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola also claimed to have missed Pepe’s challenge as it happened live.
“Pepe? Players talked about it, but I didn't see what happened. It seems it was clear on television,” Guardiola told reporters.
Real Madrid may need to prepare for games without Pepe…
