Arsenal captian Odegaard praises Porto defender Pepe for career longevity: ‘Respect to him’

Martin Odegaard has praised 41-year-old Porto defender Pepe for his career longevity.

Arsenal host their Portuguese opposition in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday night (12 March) and need to turn around a 1-0 first-leg defeat.

Odegaard, who played with Pepe at Real Madrid for two years, described the veteran centre-back as a “great defender”.

“I have so much respect for him, he’s a great guy and what he’s doing at that age... a lot of respect to him to keep going like that,” the midfielder said.