Ahead of Figo, really? Figo was regarded as the best player in the world at one point.
Fair question. I'm waiting to see my son's doctor, so I can go with a longer answer:
Figo was a better player. He won world player of the year and his time at Barca is legendary; but his time for the Selecao was spotty. They missed out on USA '94 and '98. They were eliminated in the group stage in Korea '02 in humiliating fashion. 2 reds in the decisive match vs Korea. Joao Pinto suspension for striking the match official ended his international career. Figo and the team had great runs at Euro 2000, 2004 and WC '06. By '04 Figo was still a top player, but he was no longer the player he had been at his peak. The best I saw him play for the Selecao was during qualification for Korea. He was looking like a monster. He injured his ankle in a Champions League match vs Porto and wasn't at that prior level when he recovred for the World Cup. I do value his less than peak play and disappointing team results when he was the best player/captain. They did not look buttoned up during those failures and he did not call out anyone while it was happening. Did the typical athlete thing of passive aggressively shifting blame to the managers and FA after. The Golden Generation was a disappointment and he was the top man for it.
Pepe, who Figo would have blocked from playing for Portugal due to being from Brazil, has been the perfect compliment to Ronaldo during his run. He's been the foundation to their defense since his first cap in '07. He deserves his reputation for "dark arts", but he's also been a player who is a team leader. Going back to his time at Porto, very common to see him wear the captain's arm band. Besides Brazil 2014, his tournaments have been outstanding. He was Portugal's best player at Euro 2012 (they lost PKs in the semis to the great Spain team) and was nails in the 2016 tournament and final. They don't win without him because he again played at the highest level when it really mattered.
He's now 41 and has 134 caps; but still makes himself available to play for Portugal out of loyalty to the program and Ronaldo. At the last World Cup, he did not play until the round of 16 vs Switzerland; but he was great and scored a goal to boot.
Would I prefer he didn't play dirty? Of course. For me, he is also what I want out of pros. He doesn't cheat anyone for effort and commitment. As I get older, I also appreciate athletes who appear to be quality people. Pepe has always come across as humble and appreciative of what he has.
I'm not trashing Figo. He's an all-timer for Portugal, but I value Pepe more. It doesn't hurt that he belts out the anthem vs many guys over the years who would make a face like they never heard it before.