The Liverpool boss says his goalkeeper is one of the best in the world.
"In England people talked about Petr Cech, and now van der Sar, but Pepe for three or four years now has been at a really good level," said Benitez.
"This consistency makes him a top-class goalkeeper.
"I would say he is one of the best 'keepers in the world now. When we signed him I said he was the best in Spain and Iker Casillas was doing really well too.
"Our fans know he's really important, and some journalists also. If they know about football, they can see the difference between Pepe and the other 'keepers."
