Portugal’s legendary defender Pepe has announced his retirement from football at the age of 41. Over his 23 professional seasons, the Real Madrid icon claimed 34 trophies.
Born in Maceió, Brazil, Pepe moved to Portugal at 18 to join Marítimo. Promoted to the first team in his second season, he spent three years at the club in the top flight before transferring to Porto in 2004, where he first made his name.
After three seasons and two Primeira Liga titles at Porto, Pepe joined Real Madrid in 2007. He appeared in 229 La Liga matches for Los Blancos over a decade, winning three league titles, two Copas del Rey, and three Champions League titles.
Internationally, Pepe made his senior debut in 2007 and went on to earn 141 caps, making him Portugal’s third-most-capped player of all time. He participated in five Euros, including Euro 2024, and four World Cups. He was a key member of the Portugal team that won Euro 2016.
Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed the news on Thursday via his X handle (formerly Twitter), writing about Pepe: “878 games, 34 trophies, and one of the best defenders around for years…”