Pepelu greeted with 'Judas' dollar bills as Levante fans vent fury at ex-star
Levante supporters created mock dollar bills with Pepelu's face and 'Judas' printed on them to welcome their former midfielder back to Ciutat de València with Valencia.
Former Levante midfielder Pepelu received the full wrath of the Ciutat de València faithful as he returned to face his boyhood club with Valencia in the local derby.
Money talks
Levante supporters made their feelings crystal clear about their academy graduate’s departure, greeting the Valencia team bus with specially-printed mock dollar bills featuring Pepelu’s face instead of George Washington’s. These notes had “Pepelu Judas” emblazoned across the top where “One Dollar” would normally appear.
The creative protest didn’t stop there. Fans distributed both large poster-sized versions (roughly half A3 size) and smaller, more realistic bill-sized copies that were thrown from the stands before kick-off.
Hostile homecoming
The atmosphere turned properly nasty when Pepelu stepped off the team bus, with supporters unleashing a chorus of “He’s a rat, Pepelu is a rat!” chants. The hostile reception continued throughout the warm-up and reached deafening levels during the match whenever he touched the ball.
This marked the first direct confrontation between Pepelu and Levante fans since his controversial exit in 2023 when he activated his release clause to join Valencia. The timing of his departure left a particularly sour taste:
- It came immediately after Levante’s heartbreaking promotion play-off defeat to Alavés in the final minute
- Pepelu had only signed a contract renewal with the release clause a year earlier
- He swapped one Valencia neighbourhood (Orriols) for another by joining the city’s bigger club
Unhealed wounds
The midfielder’s exit sparked protests across Valencia at the time, with banners appearing declaring “Pepelu, traitor”, “You haven’t understood anything” and “Raised in Orriols and fled to Singapore” (referring to Valencia owner Peter Lim’s home).
Pepelu defended himself at his Valencia unveiling, stating: “I don’t feel like a traitor. People’s opinions don’t matter to me.”
Levante supporters also showed their wicked sense of humour by chanting “Carlos [Corberán], stay!” and “Peter [Lim], stay!” – mocking Valencia fans’ regular calls for their manager’s resignation and owner’s departure amid poor results.