Portuguese and Besiktas defender Pepe has called on compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo to join him at the Istanbul club.

During a live video on his Instagram page in September, Ronaldo was asked to “#ComeToBesiktas” and took time to respond to fans’ pleas.

“Pepe’s there and Quaresma” the 32-year-old said. “They don’t need me!”

But Pepe outlined why he would prefer his fellow country man to join him at Besiktas over any other player in the world.

“Of course I would like for Cristiano to come here,” Pepe told CNN, describing him as a “more complete” player than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

“Off the pitch, Cristiano is an extremely normal person… People talk without knowing the real Cristiano. He’s a normal person with normal habits like us,” said Pepe.

“He’s demonstrated that he’s a good father and he also has a lot of time for his sons. He stresses the importance of being a father which I think is important. He’s does this perfectly and naturally.”