By
OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Pepe has announced his retirement from football at 41 years drawing the curtain down on a golden career.
The defender most recently represented Portugal in Euro 2024, missing only one group match during the tournament and playing the whole 120 minutes alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in their quarter-final defeat by France.
Pepe is widely regarded as one of the best defenders of the 21st century after winning 34 trophies and playing a total 878 games, with his combative and sometimes ill-disciplined defending proving a nightmare for opposition attackers to deal with.
His partnership alongside Sergio Ramos over a decade saw him win every available club honour in Spain, most notably three Champions League titles and a plethora of individual accolades.
Pepe decided to announce his retirement following a sensational 23-year playing career in Spain Thursday where he revealed his decision in a 30-minute video that matched the titles he has won throughout the years.
Rising through the youth ranks at various Portuguese sides following a move from his native Brazil at the age 17, Pepe was eventually given a chance in senior football when Porto signed him in 2004.
His efforts at the top Portuguese side eventually caught the attention of Real Madrid, who took out £20m for his services and the rest as they say is history, with Pepe finding his footballing home in Spain’s capital, Madrid.
The legendary defender made 334 appearances across all competitions for Madrid, scoring 15 goals, registering 20 assists, and being shown 79 yellow cards along with three sending offs.
His time at Madrid culminated in Pepe winning the Club World Cup twice, UEFA Super Cup on two occasions, two Spanish Cups, three LaLiga titles and three Spanish Super Cups alongside his Champions League honours.
It was at the Santiago Bernabeu where he also formed a close relationship with Portuguese team-mate Ronaldo, with the pair playing through the best years of their career together for both club and country.
Whenever there was a success to celebrate the duo would be inseparable, while with the national team they often consoled each other as was most recently the case at Euro 2024.
During two spells at Porto, he won four Portuguese top-flight titles, five Portuguese Cups, five Super Cups and an intercontinental trophy as well.
Pepe, widely-regarded as one of football’s most combative defenders, was sent off six times at Real Madrid.
Meanwhile his international achievements are equally iconic with Pepe helping end Portugal’s wait for a first major honour when they won Euro 2016 by beating France in the final and later becoming UEFA Nations League winners.
Making the surprising retirement announcement, Pepe published a feature video titled Obrigado which is “thank you” in English, and began with a dramatic strobe lighting montage with all the trophies won throughout his career in one room.
He then watched through various highlights of his career and shared his emotions at leaving the game for good and thanking those who have helped him along the road to success.
Pepe stated: ‘I want to thank God for giving me the wisdom to be able to continue my journey. I can’t help but thank all the presidents who bet on me and believed in me.
‘All the employees of all the clubs I’ve been to, they are the soul and essence. And of the national team. All my teammates and coaches, who helped me grow and compete every day. All the fans, who are the soul of football.
‘To Jorge Mendes, to Gestifute, to my mother, who was essential in my journey by letting me fly towards my dream, which was to be a professional footballer. To all my friends and family, especially my wife, who was my home in my absence.
‘My children for believing in me, for being a fundamental support in my life, for supporting me when I left home to play. They were the support I needed to be able to go with a clear conscience.
‘ I would like to thank everyone, give them a big thank you and a big hug of gratitude. Thank you all very much.’
