Pepe Soares

1926/31 CF Belenenses (POR) 140 games, / goals

With the National Team :

14 caps, 7 goals

(Friendly matches: 14 caps, 7 goals)

1st cap: March 16, 1927 against France (4-0)

Last cap: February 23, 1930 against France (2-0)

José Manoel Soares "Pepe"

Born January 30, 1908 in Lisbon (POR)

Died October 24, 1931 in Lisbon (POR)

Portuguese, Inside-Forward, Attacking-Midfielder, /

José Manuel Soares also called "Pepe" was born on the 30th of January 1908 in Lisbon. Playing as an attacking midfielder or second striker, he was considered by many to be the most talented Portuguese player of his time.

Despite his young age, he won 2 Portuguese Cups (which at the time represented the country's championship), he also won 3 three Lisbon championships. And he was in the national team between 1927 and 1930 (between the ages of 19 and 22).

A major element of CF Belenenses, he is one of its greatest legends. He made his debut in the first team on February 28, 1926 at the age of 18 against Benfica, he came on in the 75th minute while his team was losing 4-1 and seemed helpless, in 13 minutes, he scored a hat-trick and allowed his team to equalize 4-4. As the match was about to end, Benfica made a foul in the area and it was Pepe who, despite his young age, took responsibility for taking the penalty, he scored and scored a quadruple for his first match. This gave rise to the expression "a quarter of an hour at Belenenses", an expression that is still used.

In 1926 and 1931, he played 140 matches for FC Belenenses and established himself as the best player of his generation. During the 1929/30 season of the Lisbon Championship, he scored no less than 36 goals in 14 games (an average of 2.57 goals per game) while playing as an attacking midfielder, simply mind-blowing. During this season, he even set a record, scoring 10 goals in 1 game, during a 12-1 victory against Bom Sucesso (a record in Portugal that still stands).

His career with Portugal began on March 16, 1927 against France, the young player scored twice in his country's 4-0 victory. He participated in the 1928 Olympic Games where he beat Chile and then Yugoslavia, but lost in the quarter-finals against Egypt.

While he was establishing himself as one of the best players in the world, Pepe Soares died suddenly following a mistake by his mother. On October 23, 1931, the football player collapsed at work (footballers at the time had to have a job to live), he was rushed to the naval hospital in Lisbon where he felt severe pain in the abdomen. The next day, the player died, at the age of 23.

On October 22, Pepe's mother, who could not read, mistakenly confused salt with caustic soda when making chorizo. This same chorizo ​​was distributed to the family and the family cat, for Pepe, he ate it in a sandwich... Pepe, like other members of the family, was hospitalized, the cat also died...

During the player's funeral, the ceremony was almost synonymous with national mourning, 30,000 people were present to pay tribute to the young star who died so brutally and suddenly. The player's aura crossed borders and it is said that many players from all over Europe were present, including Ricardo Zamora.

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