Pepe believes that Rafa Benitez is a 'great professional' with 'good coaching methods' who has suffered heartache because he is 'unlucky,' the "?Chronicle Live report.
Benitez landed his dream job last summer when he was appointed as Real Madrid boss but things quickly turned sour.
Los Blancos struggled to find their rhythm under the Spaniard's tutelage and fans loudly voiced their frustrations.
The 56-year-old was eventually sacked in January after a dismal string of results and he was replaced by Zinedine Zidane who helped the club clinch their 11th European title in May.
However, Real's defensive lynchpin Pepe has defended Benitez and praised him for being an 'honest' person.
"I'm always sincere with my words and I must say I really liked the way he worked" the Portuguese international told Marca.
"Benitez is a great professional and has good coaching methods, but was unlucky.
"Luck is needed in order to be successful regardless of the amount of work you put in.
"Rafa was honest with me - I was not a part of his ideal starting defence, but I asked him to give me a chance to prove myself."
The turning point during Benitez's regime was a crushing 4-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Barcelona back in November that infuriated the Santiago Bernabeu faithful.
Pepe insists though that Real are indebted to their passionate fans.
"Madrid's strength lies in our fans" the 33-year-old added.
"Being booed at the Santiago Bernabeu is a struggle, but you realise the club's greatness.
"We have a demanding home crowd but they also have great respect to our opponents, as they praised Atletico [Madrid] after the final.
"This is the greatest club in the world thanks to its fans."