Ronaldo can't do everything, warns Pepe

Posted Friday, June 01, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

Portugal cannot afford to rely too heavily on their talismanic captain Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2012 because he "can't do everything on his own", warned centre-back Pepe on Thursday.

"The responsibility is for everyone," said Pepe, who also plays alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

"He's a human being with extraordinary abilities, who can decide the outcome of a match, but he's just one player in a team.

"He has experience. He knows how to approach these matches but he can't do everything on his own."

Drawn in Group B alongside title contenders Germany and the Netherlands and 1992 champions Denmark, Portugal will need Ronaldo at his best if they are to emerge from what has predictably been dubbed 'the Group of Death'.

Ronaldo's goals fired Madrid to this season's Spanish league title but he is still to enjoy significant success with his national team.

"Cristiano is coming off a great season," said Pepe.

"He's very motivated by the Euro. We hope to see him scoring goals for the national team like he's done for Real Madrid."

Pepe was speaking at a press conference in Obidos, where Portugal have set up their training base ahead of Euro 2012.

They face Turkey in a friendly in Lisbon on Saturday and open their Euro 2012 campaign against Germany in the Ukrainian city of Lviv on June 9.