You now officially play for Real Madrid. What were the first few hours like?

Everything happened so fast and, honestly, I was very excited to come. I cannot wait to start training and getting into a daily routine in order to help me adjust.

You should adapt quite easily being that you know several of your new teammates already.

I hope that is the case. I do know some players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, as well as coach Mourinho. But every one of them has their own life, so we simply need to be tight-knit on the pitch. That said, the fact that I already know them makes me more confident and facilitates my adjustment.

Spanish football is quite similar to your style of Portuguese football.

Portuguese football is similar to Spanish football because we both like to touch and keep possession of the ball. I think that because of my characteristics, adjusting to English football was more difficult than what adjusting to Spanish football will be.

You have played a lot of football in your lifetime. What has you career been like?

Until I began playing for Porto I played on loan for first division clubs. Then I began playing for Porto, which was a dream come true for me. It was hard for me to play with Luis and Jorge Costa there; two players who had been there a long time. I think the moment I will cherish was in 2004 because it was a good year for the club and for the national team, both of whom I was starting for. That was another dream come true. Then I was transferred to Chelsea, where I played for six years until coming here to continue my career.

Because you have already coincided with Mourinho in the past, what is he like and how does he convert every team he coaches into a winner?

Mourinho is very detail oriented and a perfectionist. He doesn’t take player mistakes well, but we do make them because we are human. He is very demanding and he pays attention to every detail in order to win. We have won a lot of trophies together and I hope to do the same here.

There will be many times when you will play with Pepe by your side. You already know him well and he has proven that he is a great center-back. Having him play by your side must make you feel more confident?

I am very happy to be playing with him. He is a very good player who everyone likes and he has managed to make a name for himself here, which isn’t easy to do. We all know how much he means, but I have to do my share playing next to him. We are a pair, but we each have to do our part. He cannot play for me and vice versa.

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