Pepe announced on Thursday, at the age of 41, the end of his career as a professional footballer, in which he played for Real Madrid, Porto and the Portuguese national team.
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The Portuguese central defender, of Brazilian origin, announced his retirement in a video shared on his social networks, in which he reviews his career and his 31 trophies won, such as the three Champions Leagues that won with the Real Madrid.
Pepe in the middle of a confrontation.
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In the recording, titled “Thank you” (thank you), the player recalled the “essential” role of his mother in “letting him fly towards his dream of being a professional footballer” and thanked his family, fans, teammates and club presidents who “bet” on him.
Pepe’s career
The player, born in Brazil and naturalized Portuguese, has played 894 matches in his career, the last of which came at Euro 2024 in Germany.
Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira ‘Pepe’ (Maceió, Brazil, 1983) started out at Corinthians Alagoano in his native Maceió.
In 2001, at the age of 19 and with just five euros in his pocket, he moved to the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira to represent Marítimo.
Three years later he signed for the Portwhere he won two league titles and a Portuguese Cup; the first trophies in a list of achievements that was expanded with his move to the Spanish capital in 2010, where he spent almost a decade at Real Madrid.
There, he became one of the mainstays of the white team, with which he played 334 matches and scored 15 goals, winning 3 Champions Leagues, 2 Club World Cups, 2 European Super Cups, 3 Leagues, 2 Copa del Reys and 2 Spanish Super Cups.
Pepe to the Getafe player.
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In 2019, he left the Santiago Bernabeu for him Besiktas Turkish, and a season and a half later he returned to Porto.
Even at the end of his career, he was a key part of the blue and white squad until his last season and, wearing the captain’s armband, he added two more Leagues, four Cups and a League Cup to his list of achievements with the ‘dragons’.
Pepe became a Portuguese citizen in 2007 and is leaving the club after having represented the Portuguese national team on 141 occasions, spanning four World Cups and five European Championships, including the most recent one in Germany.
He was instrumental in the country’s first major achievement, Euro 2016 in France, and added to Portugal’s list of achievements by winning the UEFA Nations League in 2019.
“At the end of his football career, Pepe leaves us an example of professionalism, dedication and, above all, a huge passion for football and the national team,” said the president of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Fernando Gomes, in a statement.
Cristiano Ronaldo bids farewell to his friend
Cristiano Ronaldo has not forgotten his great friend, the brother who left him football and with whom he shared a dressing room at Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team. Through his social networks he dedicated a heartfelt message to him in response to the news.
“There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me, my friend. We won everything there was to win on the pitch, but the greatest achievement is the friendship and respect I have for you. You are unique, my brother. Thank you for so much,” said Cristiano Ronaldo about the teammate who never left him alone on the pitch.
HAROLD YEPES
SPORTS
With EFE.
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