Portugal Defender “Pepe” Retires at Age 41
Portugal defender Pepe announced his retirement from soccer at the age of 41.
The last game of the Brazilian-born center back’s career was for Portugal in its penalty-shootout loss to France in the European Championship quarterfinals last month. He was in tears after the game.
Pepe announced his retirement on social media.
He made 141 appearances for Portugal, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo (211) and João Moutinho (146).
Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to his longtime Portugal teammate Pepe after the defender announced his retirement from football at the age of 41.
Ronaldo paid tribute to his former Real Madrid teammate on X, formerly Twitter. He said: “There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me, friend.”
"We won everything there was to win on the field, but the greatest achievement is the friendship and respect I have for you. You are unique, my brother. Thank you for so much," Ronaldo added.
Pepe also spent 10 seasons at Real Madrid -- eight of them alongside Ronaldo -- where he won three LaLiga titles and three Champions League trophies, as well as two FIFA Club World Cups.
Pepe joined the Spanish side in 2007 from Porto, and returned to the Portuguese club in 2019 where he remained until the end of his career, winning four Primeira Liga titles across his two spells at the club.
Pepe, Ronaldo and Moutinho were members of the Portugal team that beat host nation France 1-0 in the 2016 European Championship final.
In his club career, Pepe won three Champions League titles and three Spanish league titles with Madrid between 2007-17. His last club was Porto, which he joined for a second spell in 2019.
Pepe became the Champions League's oldest goalscorer last year when he netted for Porto against Antwerp in the group stages.
His career included making 334 appearances for Real Madrid at a time when they were Europe's dominant side.
Pepe's disciplinary record was also famously notable, with him receiving a high number of red cards across his career.
