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After Real Madrid, Pepe Continues to Make History with Portugal

The Portuguese national team’s dramatic passage into the quarter-finals of the European Cup at the expense of Slovenia after a thrilling penalty shootout wasn’t the only noteworthy event. This match also saw Portuguese defender Pepe become the oldest player to participate in a knockout match within the European Cup or the World Cup, surpassing former English goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

During the round of 16 of the continental championship, Pepe, who was born in Brazil, marked his participation at the age of 41 years and 126 days. This achievement broke Shilton’s record, who was 40 years and 292 days old when he played for England against Italy in the third-place play-off in the 1990 World Cup. Shilton’s record stood for nearly 34 years before Pepe’s landmark participation.

Pepe arrived in Portugal in 2001 at the age of 18, obtaining citizenship after playing for Maritimo and Porto, before his notable spells at Real Madrid, Besiktas, and his return to Porto last season.

Pepe, whose contract with his previous team expired, experienced immense success after joining Real Madrid in 2007. Over his ten years with the club he established himself among the legends of the “Merengues,” for achieving all possible titles.

With Real Madrid, Pepe won the Champions League (3 times), the Club World Cup (2), the European Super Cup (2), the Spanish League (3), the King’s Cup (2), and the European Super Cup (2).

Pepe also had a significant impact with the Portuguese national team, winning the European Championship in 2016. His appearance against Slovenia marked his 140th international cap, during which he has scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists.

In this particular match, the veteran defender played for 117 minutes, earning a rating of 7.2. He successfully recovered the ball 9 times, made three interceptions, and won 9 out of 14 duels. He touched the ball 143 times and completed 108 out of 121 passes with an accuracy rate of 89%.

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