​41-year-old Portuguese defender Pepe has announced his retirement

Currently 41 years old, Pepe left Porto this summer after his contract expired. Today, the Portuguese defender announced his retirement on social media.

Pepe was born in Maceió, Brazil, and moved to Portugal at the age of 18, where he began his professional career with Marítimo. In 2004, Pepe joined Portuguese giants Porto, quickly becoming the defensive backbone of the team, helping them win the Portuguese league title and the Portuguese Cup among other honors. Pepe's outstanding performances at Porto attracted the attention of several top European clubs.




In the summer of 2007, Pepe transferred to Real Madrid for a fee of €30 million. During his time at Real Madrid, Pepe helped the team win three La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey trophies. He was also a key player in Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League victories in 2014, 2016, and 2017.

In the summer of 2017, Pepe left Real Madrid and joined Turkish club Beşiktaş. After two seasons there, Pepe returned to Porto in 2019 and continued to play a crucial role for the team.

At the international level, Pepe made his debut for the Portuguese national team in November 2007. To date, the defender has made 141 appearances for Portugal, scoring 8 goals and providing 4 assists. He helped Portugal win the 2016 UEFA European Championship and also contributed to their victory in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019.