For the Portuguese Pepe, the last war

The 38-year-old defender with an impressive track record, whose image of a violent footballer clings to his skin, will face the Blues on Wednesday night. The last chance for him to show his talent at the last stage of a big competition.

It is difficult to erase the image of a person that people have. One night in the spring of 2009, at Getafe in the southern suburbs of the Spanish capital, Pepe, who moved to Real Madrid two years ago, pushed Javier Casqueiro into the box.

Instead of raising his arms to deflect the penalty, the Portuguese hit him first and then the second. Grunting on the ground, Casquero sees Pepe’s knee hitting his back and his hair falling back. Standing, the Real Madrid defender struck another and then two blows to the heads of two other opponents who came to ask what he was thinking. The legend is done, Pepe played ten games with a suspension and is now one of those furious players in the eyes of most ball fans.

“I asked for forgiveness”

“My career has been marked by what happened in Getafe, The stakeholder was recognized in 2016. I made a mistake, realized it and asked for forgiveness. Since then I have developed and learned a lot. Today…