Képler Laveran de Lima Ferreira was born, but Pepe remained in the football world forever. Today he completes 40 years and will celebrate on the field, when the dragons receive Gil Vicente (8:30 pm, SportTV1). In the I Liga, barring setbacks, he will become the oldest ever outfield player this season, breaking the records of Rebelo (40 years, 3 months and 15 days) and Fary (40 years, 4 months and 24 days).
And the story can continue beyond this season. The Brazilian Maceió-born central defender is due to end his contract at the end of the season, but already has a proposal to extend at FC Porto until 2025. However, the decision will not be made by himself until later in the summer. Also because recent news has designated him as a target of Al-Nassr, Ronaldo for next season.
“I’ll wait until the end of the season. When I feel I’m able to compete, I say, ‘President, I’m ready to renew.’ I know how old I am, no one has to tell me. “I know my abilities, but I also have a very big commitment to the club, and that’s my honesty. It was very easy for me, 39 years old, to arrive and extend at FC Porto for five or six years, but I was not right with the club,” he said recently in an interview with Sport TV, where he admitted that in the future, if he stops playing, he can stay in the structure of the club.
At the moment, in Portugal, Pepe is the oldest active outfield player, beaten only by Bracalli, from Boavista, 41 years old, but who plays in a specific position (goalkeeper), where the longevity is much greater.
Even in the main European leagues, the central defender is in the top 5 oldest. Ages 40 or older, the Big 5 currently only features three outfield players, curiously all forwards. The Spaniard Joaquín van Betis (41 years old), the Italian Quagliarella from Sampdoria (41) and the Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic (41) from AC Milan.
Pepe arrived in Portugal 21 years ago to represent Marítimo, from Corinthians Alagoano. From Madeira he went to Sporting in the summer of 2002, but did not stay due to a lack of agreement between the two clubs.
He joined FC Porto in June 2004, where he started an impressive career, which in 2007 took him to the mighty Real Madrid, at the time the most expensive central defender in the history of football (30 million). In the Spanish capital he won three Champions Leagues, among other things. And it was also in the meringues that he had one of the worst moments of his career, in April 2009, when in a thoughtless act he kicked Casquero from Getafe and was handed a 10-match suspension.
Already a regular in the Portuguese national team, where he became European champion and won the League of Nations, he left the Whites after 10 years. He signed for one year with Besiktas, from Turkey, but returned home to Dragão in 2019. Most recently, in January, he won the 29th title of his rich curriculum, winning the League Cup.
In a recent interview with SportTV, the central defender named Képler, inspired by the well-known German astronomer who lived in the 17th century (the player’s father devoured encyclopedias), and who was nicknamed Pepe in honor of the player who played alongside Pelé do Santos in the 1960s, admitted that he still has a dream to fulfill.
“Winning the Champions League for FC Porto. I work for that every day, with that thought in the back of my mind. I know it’s very difficult, but if you work and have that conviction, the day will come. A person who doesn’t.” The dream is not happy and has no goals,” he said.
Praise from Pinto da Costa and Conceicao
If it depends on Pinto da Costa, Pepe will still play many games for FC Porto. “I think he’s still playing for five or six years. I think he’s a competitive animal,” said the president of the dragons recently.
And yesterday, at Sérgio Conceição’s press conference, the coach did not miss the central defender’s birthday. “He is an exceptional athlete, we can’t get away from that as he is as a person, as a man and as the head of the family. He is one of the people I got to know as a player, but he will stay for life .” as a friend. I am happy to be 40 years old with vitality, health, ambition. If there is a player who embodies our pillars, which is non-negotiable, it is him: rigor, competence – he played for several years with the best in the world – ambition, which he continues to have every day, wanting to win and learn every minute . All this can only be achieved with a huge passion for football, for life, deep down. He embodies that like no other. “
Tonight he plays his 243rd game for FC Porto against Gil Vicente (Galeno is injured and Evanilson is unsure). And the story promises to continue…
Highlights of Pepe’s career
April 2012 – Makes his debut for Marítimo at the age of 19, in a league match against Boavista (0-0).
June 2004 – Debuts for FC Porto, in the European Super Cup against Valencia, together with Jorge Costa.
April 2006 – Won the first title of national champion in the service of FC Porto.
July 2007 – Leave FC Porto and sign for Real Madrid in a deal worth €30 million.
November 2007 – Debuts with the Portuguese national team, called up by Scolari for the match against Finland.
May 2008 – Wins his first title of Spanish champion for Real Madrid.
April 2009 – In a match against Getafe, he lost his head and attacked an opponent with a kick. Received a 10 match suspension.
July 2016 – Become European champion for Portugal after beating France in the final.
July 2017 – Officially joins Besiktas, from Turkey, upon termination of his contract with Real Madrid.
January 2019 – Returns to FC Porto at the age of 35, 11 and a half years after leaving.
December 2022 – Became the oldest ever Portuguese player to score in a World Cup knockout stage, aged 39 years and 238 days.
Titles
FC Porto
1 Intercontinental Cup
4 Portuguese Championships
4 Super Bowls
3 Portuguese cups
1 league cup
RealMadrid
2 Club World Cups
3 Champions Leagues
2 European Super Cups
3 Spanish Championships
2 Spanish cups
2 Spanish Super Cups
Portuguese selection
1 European
1 League of Nations
Source: DN
