Pepe

Pepe is undoubtedly one of the best Portuguese players in history and one of the players who will have had the greatest longevity in history.

878

Games

Goals

Assists

Trophies

2001 SC Corinthians Alagoano (BRE)

2001/02 Marítimo Funchal B (POR) 14 games, 1 goal

2002/04 Marítimo Funchal (POR) 63 games, 3 goals

2004/07 FC Porto (POR) 89 games, 8 goals

(Portuguese League: 64 games, 6 goals)

(Portuguese Cup: 5 games)

(Portuguese Super Cup: 1 game)

(Champions League: 18 games, 2 goals)

(UEFA Super Cup: 1 game)

2007/17 Real Madrid (ESP) 334 games, 15 goals

(Spanish League: 229 games, 13 goals)

(Spanish Cup: 24 games, 1 goal)

(Spanish Super Cup: 7 matches)

(Champions League: 71 matches, 1 goal)

(UEFA Super Cup: 1 match)

(Club World Cup: 2 matches)

2017/19 Beşiktaş (TUR) 52 matches, 7 goals

(Turkish League: 33 matches, 5 goals)

(Turkish Cup: 5 matches)

(Turkish Super Cup: 1 match)

(Champions League: 6 matches)

(Europa League: 7 matches, 2 goals)

2019/24 FC Porto (POR) 201 matches, 9 goals

(Portuguese League: 132 matches, 7 goals)

(Portuguese Cup: 21 matches)

(Portuguese League Cup: 7 matches)

(Portuguese Super Cup: 3 matches)

(Champions League Qualifications: 2 matches)

(Champions League: 25 matches, 2 goals)

(Europa League: 11 matches)

With the National Team :

141 caps, 8 goals

(Friendly matches: 40 caps, 2 goals)

(World Cup qualifiers: 34 caps, 1 goal)

(World Cup: 12 caps, 2 goals)

(Euro qualifiers: 16 caps)

(Euro: 23 caps, 2 goals)

(Nations League: 12 caps)

(Confederations Cup: 4 caps, 1 goal)

1st cap: November 21, 2007 against Finland (0-0)

Last cap: July 5, 2024 against France (0-0)

Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira "Pepe"

Born February 26, 1983 in Maceió (BRE)

Portuguese/Brazilian, Center-Back, 1m88

Nicknames: The Enforcer, The Wall

From Brazil to Portugal

Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira known as "Pepe" was born on February 26, 1983 in Maceió, Brazil. He was trained at Sociedade Sportiva Sete de Setembro before joining Corinthians Alagoano. At the age of 18, he moved to Portugal and signed with CS Marítimo. On the island of Madeira, he played the majority of his career in the reserve team.

It was finally during the 2002/03 season that he would establish himself in the first team under the orders of Anatoli Bychovets. Very solid, Pepe played a series of matches and during the 2003/04 pre-season he was given permission to train with Sporting Portugal for two weeks, the aim being to do a trial for a possible signing with the big Portuguese club, but in the end, the trial did not lead to a contract. He returned to Marítimo and finished in 6th place in the Portuguese championship, securing a qualifying place for the Europa League.

The many injuries

Pepe joined one of the biggest Portuguese clubs in history, FC Porto, in the summer of 2004. Pepe was initially a substitute before finally establishing himself in the eyes of the world as one of the most promising central defenders of his generation. With Pepe, Porto won the Portuguese championship twice in 2006 and 2007 as well as the Intercontinental Cup in 2004, the Super Cup and the Portuguese Cup in 2006.

Pepe then joined Real Madrid during the 2007/08 season. After his presentation to the club on July 12, 2007, he accumulated injuries, including a rupture of the cruciate ligaments in December 2009. He missed the rest of the 2009/10 season. The player was then the victim of much criticism from the media and Real Madrid supporters who criticized his aggressive play and his lack of consistency.

A complete defender, far from the vision of a simply violent player that we have of him

He returned to an excellent level, especially under the orders of José Mourinho who categorized him among the best defenders in the world. At Real Madrid, he accumulated injuries but was always present. Categorized by many as a simple butcher, he was very different from this simple negative image. Pepe was the complete defender par excellence, with excellent vision of the game, he had this ability to anticipate the game and recover a large number of balls. He also had a very great vertical jump as well as extraordinary athletic qualities (speed, power, strength).

But it is true that he was a player described by his rivals as violent. He also had the vice of being a simulator at a time when football did not have video assistance. Beyond that, he was a leader on the field, Cristiano Ronaldo will even say that he had the level to win the Ballon d'Or in 2016. His 2016 year is surely his best, he won the Champions League by being exceptional during the final against Atlético Madrid, muzzling the opposing attackers.

A legendary player, for good and bad reasons

Very good in the air, he will repeat a masterclass during the Euro 2016 where he plays one of the best matches of his career during the final of the competition: 12 clearances, 3 blocked shots, 2 interceptions, 3 ground duels won, 3 aerial duels won and 80% of successful passes.

But in the collective imagination, the player will have kept this image of a player with hot tempers, with in particular a match Real Madrid - Getafe on April 21, 2009. While the score was 2-2, Javier Casquero fell in the penalty area in contact with Pepe. The latter, annoyed by this action leading to a penalty, will inflict a series of kicks on the Spaniard before leaning towards him, crushing him with his knee, pulling his hair, violently pinching his arm and trampling his calf, all while Casquero is still on the ground. He then proceeded to slap and punch two Getafe players who came to intervene. He was eventually overpowered by his teammate and captain Iker Casillas, who took him off the pitch. The sanction was handed down: a 10-match suspension.

An impressive longevity

Pepe will over the course of his time at Real Madrid establish himself among the best defenders of his generation, despite competition from Raphaël Varane. He finally left Real in 2017 after 10 years and legendary status. He joined Beşiktaş JK in Turkey where he still proved to be an excellent defender.

He returned to FC Porto at the age of 36 and will experience a new golden age. Very solid defensively and still good in terms of speed, he seems to improve with age, becoming a less aggressive defender, knowing how to use his intelligence to recover the ball. And on November 8, 2023, he became the oldest scorer in the Champions League by scoring at the age of 40 years and 254 days. He finally retired in 2024, at the age of 41, still among the best defenders in the world.

From Brazilian to Portuguese

His career with the Seleção was not what the player had originally hoped for. Brazilian, he had hoped to join the yellow team and not the red one. However, the story had started well, by being called up to play in the youth selections with Brazil, but he was finally left out of the group a few days before the competition.

And in 2007, he was called up by the Portugal coach at the time who offered him a starting place for the European country. Pepe accepted. He would take part in many major competitions, notably winning Euro 2016 where he was imperial. He finished 3 times in the typical team of a Euro, in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

In total, he would have played 141 times for Portugal between 2007 and 2024, a longevity of 17 years in the selection. He was the emblem of his adopted country and one of the most consistent players alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.