 On 15 March 2008, Pepe scored the only (own) goal in a 0–1 away loss against Deportivo de La Coruña.Eight months later, he was involved in a fight during training with teammate Javier Balboa – the defender was nonetheless called up for Real's next match, whereas the winger was not.As "Los Blancos" were eventually crowned champions of La Liga, he delivered a Man of the match performance in a 1–0 win at Barcelona.