Pepe believes Real Madrid were hated under Jose Mourinho and the defender has revealed he was happy to see the manager leave.
Mourinho joined Madrid in 2010 after a successful spell with Inter, winning LaLiga in 2011-2012 but falling short in the Champions League.
The Portuguese exited the Santiago Bernabeu after making enemies inside and outside the club, having become embroiled in a bitter feud with then-Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.
Under Mourinho, people hated us when we got out there on the pitch, Brazilian-born Portugal international Pepe told Cadena Ser.
It lasted three years and thank god it went very quick.
Things changed when [Carlo] Ancelotti came in, you could see people started treating us different again.
Pepe endured a difficult relationship with Mourinho, but the centre-back is loving life again under Zinedine Zidane, who took over from Rafael Benitez in January.
What happened with Mourinho is in the past now. I was strong and got over it. I maintained my high level at Madrid, he said.
Mourinho and Zidane are very different, one could say they are opposites. But it s not like one is bad and the other is good.
Mourinho has a lot of experience as a coach, with great clubs and players. Zidane has only just started in LaLiga last year. But he has played at the highest level himself and always knows what s expected on the pitch.
Zidane has been a player and knows what we think. He had a brilliant career at Madrid, so understands what the pressure is like here.
We need to try to enjoy these moments because they ll end one day, and he s given us all a vote of confidence by not signing new players, he added, referring to a quiet off-season in the transfer market for the European champions.
Madrid, who defeated Atletico Madrid on penalties in the final of the last season s Champions League, begin their defence of the competition at home to Sporting CP in Group F on Wednesday.
