"In pre-season, I practically didn't talk - I only trained and watched, because I'm an observer. It was about work and more work," Marca quote former Real Madrid centre-back Pepe saying.
"Then, we were on a plane to Austria and [Cannavaro] happened to sit in front of me. I caught him reading a magazine and, when I realised that he'd finished it and the plane was about to take off, I put on a brave face and asked him: 'Cannavaro, Cannavaro [speaking in a low voice], can you give me the magazine?'
"And Cannavaro looked back and said to me: 'Cannavaro? My name is Fabio'. And he turned his back on me. I didn't know what to do. It was seconds, maybe minutes, but it seemed like an eternity before he gave me the magazine."
Pepe joined Madrid from Porto in 2007 and went on to play 10 seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu. During this period, the centre-back recorded 334 appearances, managing 15 goals and 20 assists.
