Pepe, the most successful 'dirty' player in football

Pepe is one of the best defenders to ever wear the shirt of the Portuguese national team, always giving his all and sometimes crossing the line. Join us as we look at the highly successful career of a footballer with the reputation of being a 'dirty' player.

Pepe – full name Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira – was born in Brazil on 26 February 1983 and also holds Brazilian nationality.

He started his football career at local side Corinthians Alagoano, but moved to Portugal when he was 18.

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He was contracted by Marítimo in 2001, where he would initially play for the second team, but would then be promoted to the first team.

In his second season, he would become a regular in the starting line-up of Marítimo, playing regularly in the Portuguese league.

In 2004, Pepe moved to Portuguese giants FC Porto, a transfer that would take his career to the next level.

Pepe performed very well at the Estádio do Dragão, becoming back-to-back champions in the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons.

With his performances, Pepe attracted interest from the big boys in Europe, including Real Madrid.

Los Merengues pulled the trigger in 2007 and paid 30 million euros for Pepe, who signed a five-year deal at Bernabéu.

In Madrid, Pepe would become an icon known for always giving everything for his team, but sometimes crossing the line.

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Pepe won numerous trophies with Los Blancos, including three Champions Leagues and three league titles.

According to specialised football website Transfermarkt, he made 334 appearances for Real, scoring 15 goals.

Interestingly, Pepe picked up a whopping 83 yellow cards and six reds in those matches.

Consequently, Pepe built a reputation as an aggressive player who would do almost anything to win.

However, this did not stop Pepe from becoming an important player for Portugal, which he represented more than 140 times after receiving his Portuguese passport in 2007.

In 2016, he was an integral part of the Portuguese team that clinched the European title by beating the French on home soil. Later, he would also win the Nations League along with Cristiano Ronaldo.

One year after that unforgettable 2016 summer, Pepe moved to Turkey to play for Beşiktaş.

After 1.5 years in Turkey, Pepe was left without a club when he mutually terminated his contract with Beşiktaş on 17 December 2018.

It was his former club FC Porto that gave Pepe a helping hand when it signed him in January 2019, which would mark the start of another successful Portuguese spell with the defender.

Pepe won two more Portuguese league titles and added more trophies to his already impressive record.

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This could make one raise the question: is Pepe the most successful 'dirty' player in history? What do you think?