Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira, ComM (born 26 February 1983), commonly known as Pepe (Brazilian Portuguese: ['p?pi]; European Portuguese: ['-p?]), is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Turkish club Be?ikta? and the Portugal national team as a central defender. During his professional career he has played for Marítimo, Porto and Real Madrid, with individual and team success with the latter two clubs. An aggressive, physically strong and tenacious defender, Pepe is known for his hard-tackling style of play. However, despite his defensive abilities, he has also drawn criticism in the press at times, due to his tendency to pick up cards, as he has occasionally shown violent or unsportsmanlike behaviour on the pitch.
Born and raised in Brazil, Pepe opted to play for the Portugal national team, playing at two FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships. He was a member of the team that won UEFA Euro 2016, also reaching the semi-final of Euro 2012. His father named him Képler Laveran in honor to scientists Johannes Kepler and Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran.
Video Pepe (footballer, born 1983)
Club career
Marítimo
Born in Maceió, Alagoas, Pepe started playing football with local Corinthians Alagoano. At age 18, alongside teammate Ezequias, he moved to Portugal to sign with Marítimo in Madeira, spending the vast majority of his first season with the B-team.
After being promoted to the main squad for the 2002-03 season, under Russian manager Anatoliy Byshovets, Pepe rarely missed a match, playing in several positions including defensive midfielder.
During the 2002-03 pre-season, Pepe was given permission to train with Sporting CP for two weeks, after which a deal could be negotiated for his transfer. However, neither club could agree on financial terms and the negotiations broke down, with the player returning and going on to help Marítimo finish sixth in the following campaign and qualify to the UEFA Cup, having contributed with 1 goal in 30 matches.
Porto
During the summer of 2004, Pepe signed with top division giants Porto for EUR1 million plus three players: Evaldo, Antonielton Ferreira and Tonel. A clause in the agreement also stipulated Marítimo would receive 20% of any future transfer fee.
In his first season, with Spanish coach Víctor Fernández at the helm, Pepe was mostly used as a backup, playing under veterans Pedro Emanuel, Jorge Costa and utility defender Ricardo Costa. However, in the following year, under the guidance of Co Adriaanse, he had a breakthrough season, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the domestic competition: the Dutchman often chose a 3-4-3 offensive system, with the Brazilian often pitched as the only natural stopper. Porto eventually won back-to-back leagues and the Taça de Portugal.
Real Madrid
2007-11 seasons
On 10 July 2007, Real Madrid signed Pepe to a five-year contract, paying Porto a EUR30 million transfer fee. On 15 March 2008, Pepe scored the only (own) goal in a 0-1 away loss against Deportivo de La Coruña. Eight months later, he was involved in a fight during training with teammate Javier Balboa - the defender was nonetheless called up for Real's next match, whereas the winger was not. As Los Blancos were eventually crowned champions of La Liga, he delivered a Man of the match performance in a 1-0 win at Barcelona.
Pepe was constantly hampered by injuries throughout the 2008-09 campaign. On 21 April 2009, he was also involved in an incident with Getafe's Javier Casquero: with the score at 2-2 and only a few minutes to play, he brought down the midfielder in the penalty area, being subsequently sent off. He then kicked Casquero twice, once on his shin and once on his lower back. When being pulled away from Casquero, he also pushed his head into the turf and stamped on him several times. In the ensuing mêlée, he also struck another opposing player, Juan Ángel Albín, in the face and eventually received a ten-match ban, which effectively ended his season.
In the 2009-10 season, Pepe returned to claim his place back in the starting line-ups. On 4 October 2009, he scored his first goal in the league, against Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, heading home from a Guti free-kick in a 1-2 loss. However, on 12 December, during a match at Valencia (3-2 win), he landed awkwardly following an aerial challenge and was stretchered off the pitch in the dying minutes of the first half. Scans later showed that he ruptured his right knee's anterior cruciate ligament. He went on to miss the rest of the season, jeopardizing his 2010 FIFA World Cup chances.
For 2010-11, Pepe was joined at Real Madrid by countrymen Ricardo Carvalho and manager José Mourinho, pairing up with Carvalho to form one of the most efficient defensive pairings in La Liga. On 2 October 2010, Diario AS published an article where the player was reportedly open to leave the club on a Bosman transfer. According to the newspaper, "[W]hen he signed for Real Madrid in 2007, he sacrificed a part of his salary to pay for his huge transfer fee - this made him one of the lowest earners at the club, making EUR1.8 million a year." Again, he missed several matches due to injury and, after exhausting negotiations, finally signed a new contract, renewing his link to the club until 2015.
Pepe spent the final stretch of the season appearing as a defensive midfielder as Real Madrid faced Barcelona four times in less than one month. On 27 April 2011, in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, he was sent off for a controversial challenge on Dani Alves in an eventual 0-2 home loss. However, Alves also came into strong criticism, with Real Madrid claiming the Brazilian fullback had exaggerated the incident. Additionally, sportspersons including Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Rory McIlroy criticized Alves' actions. The next day, UEFA opened disciplinary cases against both clubs for a number of incidents during the match. The verdict was announced eight days later: the red card stood and Pepe therefore received a one-match ban from European competition, which he served by not playing in the second leg at Camp Nou.
2011-17 seasons
On 12 July 2011, Pepe extended his contract with Real Madrid again, until the end of the 2015-16 season. In a match against Osasuna on 6 November, he scored the team's second goal in an eventual 7-1 home routing. In the first match of the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Barcelona on 18 January 2012, he stamped on the hand of Lionel Messi, who was on the ground after having been fouled. The incident drew strong criticism from the Spanish media, who also noted his coming-together with Cesc Fàbregas earlier in the 1-2 home defeat, but he insisted that the incident, which was not seen by the referee, was "unintentional". On 23 January, the Royal Spanish Football Federation cleared him of any wrongdoing.
On 21 March 2012, Pepe was involved in another serious incident: after a 1-1 away draw against Villarreal in which he was booked and Real Madrid finished with nine players, he confronted referee José Luis Paradas Romero in the locker room area, saying, "What a ripoff motherfucker." Two days later, he was suspended for two matches.
On 19 August 2012, in the Liga opener against Valencia, Pepe collided with Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas in the play that led to the visitors equalizing the score 1-1 (the final result). He was subsequently taken to hospital for observation, being released the following day. Amid feuds with Mourinho, Pepe lost his starting place to Raphaël Varane throughout the season and would end up getting into a scuffle with Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone from the substitutes' bench in the 2013 Copa del Rey final. He was starting the final when the team won the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League.
In his last year playing for Real Madrid, Pepe had an injury-riddled season, in where he made 13 appearances, when Madrid won the 2016-17 La Liga and the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League.
Be?ikta?
On 4 July 2017, Turkish Süper Lig side Be?ikta? announced the signing of Pepe on a free transfer from Real Madrid. He would earn EUR9.5 million in total during the two-year contract, plus a EUR4,000 bonus for each match played.
Maps Pepe (footballer, born 1983)
International career
Pepe never represented his native Brazil in any youth category. However, according to the player's father, in 2006, he was contacted by head coach Dunga about a possible call-up which he declined, stating that once he obtained Portuguese citizenship, he would join its national team. He became naturalized in August 2007 and, on 30 August, was named in the Portuguese squad for the first time in view of a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Poland. An injury while training for his club prevented the debut for his adopted country, which would materialize almost four months later, in Portugal's last match in the tournament against Finland on 21 November, a 0-0 home draw.
In the tournament's final stages, Pepe played in all of the national side's matches, scoring once in a 2-0 win against Turkey on 7 June 2008. Portugal was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany.
2010 FIFA World Cup
During the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Pepe was often used as a defensive midfielder by national coach Carlos Queiroz. After his serious knee injury while playing for Real Madrid, he was eventually selected for the squad that participated in the finals in South Africa, appearing against Brazil in the group stage (0-0) and eventual champions Spain in the round of 16 (0-1 loss).
Euro 2012
Again a starter in Euro 2012 under manager Paulo Bento, Pepe opened the score in the second group game against Denmark, heading home after a João Moutinho corner kick in an eventual 3-2 win. He was later chosen by UEFA as man of the match and, in the semi-final, he was one of two Portugal players to score in a 2-4 penalty shootout defeat to Spain.
2014 FIFA World Cup
In the 2014 World Cup, Pepe received a red card in the first half of Portugal's opening match against Germany for headbutting Thomas Müller late into the first half of an eventual 0-4 loss. At the time, Müller was sitting on the ground and Pepe walked back to Müller to headbutt him.
UEFA Euro 2016
Pepe was named man of the match in the Euro 2016 final, helping his team to keep a clean-sheet in a 1-0 extra-time victory over hosts France and win his nation's first ever international title.
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
On 2 July 2017, in the third-place match against Mexico at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, Pepe scored an injury time equaliser to send the match into extra-time. Portugal eventually won the match 2-1 to capture the bronze medal.
International goals
Club statistics
- As of 11 February 2018
1 Includes the Supercopa de España and Turkish Super Cup
2 Includes UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
Honours
Club
- Porto
- Primeira Liga: 2005-06, 2006-07
- Taça de Portugal: 2005-06
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2004, 2006
- Intercontinental Cup: 2004
- Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17
- Copa del Rey: 2010-11, 2013-14
- Supercopa de España: 2008, 2012
- UEFA Champions League: 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17
- UEFA Super Cup: 2014
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2014, 2016
International
- Portugal
- UEFA European Championship: 2016
Individual
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2008, 2012, 2016
- UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2013-14
- ESM Team of the Year: 2013-14
- CNID Best Portuguese Athlete Abroad: 2014
- FIFPro World XI 2nd team: 2016
- FIFPro World XI 3rd team: 2014
- FIFPro World XI 4th team: 2013, 2015
- FIFPro World XI 5th team: 2017
Orders
- Commander of the Order of Merit
References
External links
- Real Madrid official profile
- Pepe at TheFinalBall.com
- Pepe at ForaDeJogo
- Pepe at BDFutbol
- Pepe at National-Football-Teams.com
- Pepe - FIFA competition record
- Pepe at Goal.com
Source of article : Wikipedia
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