One month after losing to France on penalties in the Euro quarterfinals, Pepe has retired from professional football and called it quits on an epic career that saw him capture eight league titles at Porto and Real Madrid, spearhead Portugal to their first-ever major trophy, and emerge as one of the best centre-backs of his generation.
By Zach Lowy
Today, we’re paying homage to the battle-hardened, bald-headed, bellicose bulldozer in defence that was born in Brazil, but that became a legend in Portugal.
Named Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira in honour of scientists Johannes Kepler and Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, Pepe headed across the Atlantic and joined Marítimo after turning 18, starting off with the reserves before eventually impressing for the first team. It wasn’t long before the top sides in the mainland were attempting to snap him up: Pepe was allowed to train with Sporting and negotiate a deal, but he returned to Madeira empty-handed, leading the island side to a sixth-place finish and UEFA Cup qualification before joining Porto in 2004 and replacing the Chelsea-bound Ricardo Carvalho.
After struggling for minutes in his debut season, Pepe excelled as the stopper in the middle of Co Adriaanse’s 3-4-3 as Porto reclaimed the championship from Benfica and won the Taça de Portugal, before defending their league title the following year. His performances at the Dragão did not go unnoticed, with Brazil manager Dunga contacting him about a potential call-up. However, Pepe declined the invitation and preferred to wait six months to receive Portuguese citizenship. He became naturalised in August 2007 and looked set to make his debut, only to suffer an injury and have to wait another four months to suit up for his adopted country. That same summer, Pepe headed across Iberia and joined Real Madrid for €30 million.
Pepe made 23 appearances across his maiden season in Spain, none more important than his performance in his first-ever El Clásico on December 23 where he marked Ronaldinho out of the match and proved insurmountable at the back, recovering quickly in transition and holding his nerve in a 1-0 victory which laid the foundations for Real’s second-straight league title. The 2008/09 season, however, was marked with injury woes and one moment of madness against Getafe. With Real drawing 2-2, Pepe brought down Javier Casquero in the box before kicking him in the shin and lower back, shoving his head into the ground, stamping on him on several occasions, and striking Getafe’s Juan Ángel Albín in the face during the ensuing brouhaha. He received a 10-match ban and anger management classes for his troubles, and Real Madrid’s title charge would fall apart in his absence.
Whether stepping on Lionel Messi’s hand or lashing out at his teammates in training, it seemed that Pepe was a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment. The loose cannon blew up in Portugal’s face during the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, bringing down Thomas Müller, coming to blows with the striker and receiving his marching orders in the 37th minute. Müller would make them pay by scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 demolition before spurring Germany to their first World Cup title in 24 years. As for Portugal, they failed to reach the knockout round. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back: it was time for Pepe to grow up. Whilst El Clásico rival Luis Suárez was learning to keep his teeth away from opponents, Pepe finally managed to get a hold of his unhinged rampages. It would be another four years before he saw another red, picking up just two expulsions in the following eight years after that ignominious night in Brazil.
Arguably the best season of his career occurred in 2015/16, where he started in Real Madrid’s last six Champions League matches en route to a penalty shootout victory against Atlético Madrid in the final. He didn’t have plenty of time to celebrate before jetting off for France and taking part in the European Championships, where Portugal conceded just twice across 540 minutes of football (apart from a 3-3 draw vs. Hungary) and reached the final. Two decades after losing to Greece on home soil, Portugal were looking to spoil the party for hosts France, but their efforts suffered an early blow as Cristiano Ronaldo was forced off due to injury. Pepe needed to step up, and he did just that, winning three out of four ground duels, three out of five aerial duels, 10 clearances, three blocks and three recoveries. The Seleção stemmed the flow and held on for extra time, where Eder’s 109th-minute goal saw them prevail at the Stade de France. For the first time ever, Portugal were champions.
After amassing 334 appearances for Real Madrid, Pepe headed east for Istanbul, where he spent 18 months at Beşiktaş before returning to Porto in January 2019. Back in Portugal after 12 years, he didn’t take long to become the general of the Dragons’ backline, leading them to two league titles and three Taça de Portugal titles and replacing Danilo Pereira as club captain. Over the past eight months, he has become the oldest scorer in Champions League history, the first outfield player over the age of 40 to contest a Champions League knockout match, and the oldest player to feature in a European Championship match. And yet, even at 41, he has continued to age like fine wine and deliver at the highest level: eight years after making FotMob’s Team of Euro 2016 with a 7.2 rating, Pepe returned to the Team of Euro 2024 with a 7.7 rating.
Once a model of uncontrollable fury, Pepe evolved into a model of composure and consistency, racking up 141 appearances for Portugal – bettered only by João Moutinho (146) and Cristiano Ronaldo (212) – and leaving an indelible mark on Real Madrid and Porto. “The way he reads the game and competes is a wonderful example for Portuguese football and football in general,” said Portugal manager Roberto Martínez. He uses the 24 hours to be a professional footballer. That’s very easy to say but we all know players who probably prepare for two hours a day and then live a normal life and one day expect to retire. Pepe doesn’t. Everything is done down to the detail. He’s an example of how a player can extend his career, 24 hours a day.”
(Cover image from IMAGO)
Relive a dramatic career by checking out Pepe’s player profile on FotMob. Download the free app here.