Pepe announced the end of his soccer career

At the age of 41, Portuguese soccer international Pepe announced the end of his career as a soccer player, after more than two decades at the highest level, in a video posted on his social media account.

Pepe, who was born in Brazil but is a Portuguese international player, hangs up his boots having won more than 30 titles throughout his career, including a European Championship with the national team in 2016 and three Champions League titles, all with Real Madrid.

In addition to the historic Spanish club, he also played for FC Porto, his last club, Marítimo and Besiktas.

The last game of Pepe’s career was on July 5 in Hamburg, Germany, in Portugal’s defeat by France (0-0 at the end of extra time, 5-3 on penalties) in the quarter-finals of Euro2024.

The defender leaves the Portuguese national team with 141 caps and eight goals and as the third most capped player ever for the ‘Quinas’, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (212) and João Moutinho (146).

The boy from Maceió who became a Portuguese soccer legend

At the age of 41, Pepe ends his soccer career as a ‘legend’ of the Portuguese national team and FC Porto, in a story that began in Maceió, Brazil, where he was born, and ended in Germany, at Euro2024.

The now former central defender hangs up his boots with a total of 895 games between clubs and the national team and almost three dozen titles, including the 2016 European Championship with Portugal and three Champions Leagues, all with Real Madrid.

Pepe also won seven championships, four in Portugal with FC Porto and three in Spain with Madrid, the club he represented for a decade.

With the national team, the former footballer also won a Nations League, as well as Euro2016, and reached 141 caps, making him the third player with the most caps for the ‘Quinas’, behind João Moutinho (146) and Cristiano Ronaldo (212).

The last game of Pepe’s career was on July 5, in Hamburg, Germany, in Portugal’s defeat against France (0-0 at the end of extra time, 5-3 in the penalty shootout), in the quarter-finals of Euro2024. The central midfielder played 120 minutes.

In that tournament, Pepe became the oldest ever to play in a European Championship and reinforced his status as the oldest member of the national team, with 41 years and 138 days.

In all, he has appeared in nine finals, between Europeans and World Cups, for the national team.

With FC Porto, the last time he wore the ‘dragons’ jersey was in Rio Maior, on April 21, in a 2-1 win over Casa Pia in the I Liga, and he celebrated his last trophy in May, although he didn’t play, with the Portuguese Cup against Sporting.

In his entire career, Pepe has scored 51 goals, the last on December 13 last year, in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk (5-3), reinforcing his status as the oldest player to score in Europe’s most important club competition.

During his career, Pepe gained a reputation as a player who was too aggressive on the pitch, despite his friendly and cheerful personality, and was red carded 19 times and yellow carded more than 200 times.

In 2009, while playing for Real Madrid, the Portuguese international even received a record 10-game suspension for kicking a Getafe player to the ground. Pepe has often referred to this episode as the worst of his career.

During his career in the FC Porto shirt, Pepe was always one of the main ‘targets’ of the fans of rival clubs Benfica and Sporting, always receiving a lot of whistles, but everything changed when he wore the national team shirt, and he ended up receiving a lot of applause, above all because of his dedication in every match.

On February 26, 1983, Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira was born in Maceió in Brazil and, already using Pepe as his official footballing name, began his career in the youth ranks of Corinthians Alagoano.

In 2001, his life changed completely when, at the age of 17, he went to the island of Madeira to represent Marítimo, a journey that turned out to be a one-way trip, as the central midfielder would later choose Portuguese nationality in 2007.

After a flirtation with Sporting, with Pepe even training on a trial basis at the Alvalade club, the central midfielder headed for FC Porto in 2004 and made a definitive start to a career at the highest level.

In three seasons at the Dragão, Pepe won two championships, a Portuguese Cup and a Super Cup with performances that eventually convinced Real Madrid to sign him in 2007/08.

In Spain, at the ‘colossus’ of the Spanish capital, Pepe made more than 300 appearances and enjoyed a decade full of trophies, including three Champions Leagues, two Club World Cups and two Copa del Rey titles, as well as three La Ligas.

After a season of little use, his Real Madrid adventure came to an end in 2017/18 when he headed to Turkey to represent Besiktas, a move that lasted just a season and a half before he returned ‘home’ to FC Porto.

When many thought that Pepe’s career was over when he returned to the Dragão, the central defender ended up spending five more seasons at the highest level with FC Porto and was a key player in winning three more I Liga titles and four Portuguese Cups.

His story, which would end up being a long and successful one, with the national team began in November 2007 against Finland, and at the Dragão, in a draw that qualified Portugal for the final stage of Euro2008.

Pepe later played in the tournament in Austria and Switzerland and went on to represent Portugal in eight more finals, most notably Euro2016 in France.

The central midfielder was one of the key players in winning the trophy in France and was even named best player in the final with the Blues (1-0 after extra time).

For 16 years, Pepe was the ‘boss’ of the national team’s defense and said goodbye to the pitch at Euro2024, when the team lost to France in the quarter-finals.

Even at the age of 41, the central defender was one of Portugal’s best players throughout the competition, but was unable to repeat the feat of 2008, 2012 and 2016 when he was part of the best eleven in the competition.