Pepe Retired From Professional Football

The Veteran Portuguese footballer Pepe announced his retirement from professional football on Sunday 11th August after being on the field for more than two decades. He took his Instagram account to declare his sad decision to move away from football, captioning “Obrigado”.

Pepe began his career at the senior level properly in 2002 at the Portuguese club Maritimo as a center-back. But his prime form started when he moved to Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid in 2007. He also made his international debut in the same year for Portugal.

In his 23 years of professional career, the veteran defender appeared 742 times for various clubs where 290 games he played for Real Madrid, and scored 42 goals. For Portugal, he stepped out in 141 games and netted eight goals.

Pepe won most of the coveted trophies during his stint with Madrid. There the 42-year-old lifted the La Liga trophy thrice, the Champions League, and the Fifa World Cup too as many times.

With Portugal, Pepe’s significant achievement was winning the Euro 2016 in France and his incredible defense against the robust French side aided him to bag the Player of the Match award in the finals.

The Portuguese defender’s last game in football was the quarter-final against France in the Euro 2024 where they got defeated and eliminated from the tournament.

Pepe will be remembered as one of the best center-backs of his generation for his admirable fitness, longevity, physical strength, aggression, and hard tackle skills. His service to the national team and his prior club Real Madrid will be immortal forever.