Pepe Portuguese Footballer Born 1984 in Maceió

Early life

Pepe was born Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira on 26 February in Maceió, in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. His father gave him a name honouring two scientists, Johannes Kepler and Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran. He began playing football with a local club, Corinthians Alagoano. At 18 he travelled to Portugal with a teammate, Ezequias, to join Marítimo on the island of Madeira. He later took Portuguese citizenship, which allowed him to play for the Portugal national team rather than for the country of his birth.

Career

At Marítimo, Pepe spent most of his first season with the reserve side, listed in the records as C.S. Marítimo B for 2001 to 2002. He was promoted to the first team for the 2002-03 season and stayed until 2004. In May 2004 he signed for Porto, where he began as a backup defender, then established himself under the Dutch coach Co Adriaanse, and helped the club win consecutive league titles and the Taça de Portugal. His first period with Porto lasted until 2007 and included the Intercontinental Cup in 2004.

In July 2007 Real Madrid signed him for a fee of 30 million euros and a five-year contract. He stayed in Madrid for a decade, until 2017, and played as a centre-back, at times as a defensive midfielder. His honours with the Spanish club include three La Liga titles (2007-08, 2011-12 and 2016-17), two Copa del Rey wins, two Supercopa de España wins, the UEFA Super Cup, two FIFA Club World Cups and three UEFA Champions League titles, in 2013-14, 2015-16 and 2016-17. He started the 2016 final against Atlético Madrid in Milan, which Real won on penalties. In 2011 and 2012 he partnered Sergio Ramos in central defence, and he played alongside the Portuguese countryman Ricardo Carvalho under José Mourinho in 2010-11.

When his contract ended in 2017 he moved on a free transfer to the Turkish club Beşiktaş, where he played until December 2018, when the contract was ended by mutual agreement. In January 2019 he went back to Porto on a contract of two and a half years. In the 2019-20 season Porto won the league and the cup, and in October 2020 he was named club captain. He later extended his contract through 2023. With Porto he won the Primeira Liga in 2019-20 and 2021-22, the Taça de Portugal in 2019-20, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24, and the Taça da Liga in 2022-23.

In the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League he set several age records. On 25 October 2023 he became the oldest outfield player to appear in the competition, and on 7 November he became its oldest scorer, with a header against Royal Antwerp. He extended that mark with another goal against Shakhtar Donetsk in December. In March 2024 he became the first outfield player over 40 to feature in the competition's knockout stage, in a match against Arsenal.

For Portugal, Pepe made his international debut on 21 November 2007 against Finland and played from 2007 until 2024, earning 141 caps. He played in all of Portugal's matches at UEFA Euro 2008 and scored in a win over Turkey. He was chosen for the tournament's team of the competition at Euro 2008, 2012 and 2016. At Euro 2012 he scored against Denmark and was named man of the match. He started the final of UEFA Euro 2016, which Portugal won 1-0 after extra time against France, and was again chosen player of the match; it was Portugal's first major international title. He also took part in the 2019 Nations League victory, played at four World Cups and five European Championships, and scored against Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He earned his 100th cap in September 2018 in a friendly against Croatia, wearing the captain's armband. His last international match was the Euro 2024 quarter-final defeat to France on penalties, and on 8 August 2024 he announced his retirement.

Recognition

Pepe was made a Commander of the Order of Merit of Portugal. His individual honours include a place in the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament in 2008, 2012 and 2016, the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season for 2013-14, and the title of best Portuguese athlete abroad from the CNID in 2014. In Turkey he was named Süper Lig Defender of the Season for 2017-18, and in Portugal he was part of the Primeira Liga Team of the Year in four successive seasons from 2019-20 to 2022-23.

Personal life

Pepe is married to Ana Sofia Moreira, whom he met in Porto in 2007. The couple have two daughters and a son.