🏆 🚎 ♉️ Pepe footballers: “kids” - great and not so 🧛🏾 👼🏾 🍿

They say that today's football is not enough bright personalities. Say, universalization, "totalization" and simplification of tactics significantly reduced them. This, of course, is not true. Football is good because it, despite the team character, allows specific players to prove themselves. And to do this in different ways. Fint, like Messi, inevitably score, like Ronaldo, a reliable path at the gate like Neuer, or, like two Pepe, Brazilian-Portuguese “atrocities” in defense or Franco-Ivorian “enchant” on the attack flank.

"Baby" who grew up

The nickname for the Brazilian Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira was coined by his dad. It is quite natural to call your child a baby, that is, "pepinho" in Portuguese. Such "names" because of the lengths of Portuguese names quite often become almost official in Brazil, and it is easily stuck to the boy. But, by the age of 14, it became clear that for a guy who surpasses most of his peers in growth, the nickname "Baby" is almost a mockery. That’s why the first coach made the “corrections”: since then, known to the whole planet, probably the most titled football defender in the world is simply “Baby”.

Kids cannot be offended, but Pepe suffered stiffness and pain while still working on the Corinthians youth team in the town of Alagon. For some reason, in football, the attacker is considered a priori a victim, and the defender is a “killer". At least a productive and entertaining game. In fact, any defender from a team of any level up to the yard can tell you a lot of interesting things about the actions of "honest and noble attack knights." However, what are the words if there are indicative injuries.

Like, for example, an eighteen-year-old defender Pepe's leg fracture. Scouts of the Portuguese “Maritimo” were very at risk when they signed a contract with such a football player. But Pepe’s physical qualities, ability to play with his head, stubbornness, tactical literacy, ball selection technique were painfully bribed. All this justified the risk. And Pepe himself seemed to understand a simple thing: all of the above are excellent qualities, but the best defense is an attack. Even when you play defense. To successfully play with the "beasts", you need to be an even bigger "beast."

The first seasons on the island of Madeira, where the “Sailors”, Pepe healed injuries, gained confidence, but when he gained, football Portugal breathed out in surprise, seeing in the defense of “Maritima” extremely tough, confident, impenetrable defender. By the way, the Russian coach, the triumphant of the Olympic Seoul-88, the unforgettable Anatoly Fedorovich Byshovets, who worked in Portugal in those years, helped him in this.

The Portuguese decided to take a look at Pepe. “Sporting” called for his training, but did not dare to buy it for good money. For other "Maritim" was not going to give it. Then he began to ask the price of “Port”. In the end, they agreed on a million euros and three players. So Pepe entered a high orbit.

A successful game for the “Port” increased the value of Pepe 30 times. It was for 30 million euros that it was acquired in three years by Real Madrid, where Pepe was called the Wall of Madrid. Paired with Jose Ramos Pepe showed his best game. And he was nicknamed the Beast. He was very aggressive in the game, he preferred to put pressure on his opponents rather than wait for pokes and villains from them, sometimes he lost control over himself, especially when it came to simulations. The parable in the languages was the episode of the March match of 2009 with Getafe when the forward of this team, Javier Casquero, fell in the penalty box of Real Madrid, allegedly due to Pepe's fault. The latter was furious from this: Kaskero kicked several times, stepped on him several times, spat on him, pressed his head and hands to the field, and his teammates who came running to defend the striker.

Such things do not paint football and its first-magnitude stars, which, without a doubt, include Pepe, who also scored personal whists in the Portuguese national team, without waiting for an invitation from his native Brazil, which for some reason categorically did not notice him. Yes, probably, “peppy” atrocities do not paint football, but Pepe, who was formed by this very football, is such.

Having played 10 years for Real Madrid, Pepe left for Turkish Besiktas. The first season was held in Turkey without trophies, which of course for the Brazilian-Portuguese, accustomed to them, is a test. Will he cope with it? Or in “Real” he “spoke out” entirely?

Dossier "Pepe Brazil-Portuguese"

Pepe

Soccer player

Name on the passport - Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira. Nicknames - The Beast, Wall of Madrid.

Born March 26, 1983 in Maceio (Brazil).

Role: Defender.

Anthropometry: 188 cm, 81 kg.

Career:

2002-2004 - Maritimo (Funchal) - 63 games, 3 goals;
2004-2007 - “Porto” - 64 games, 6 goals;
2007-1017 - Real Madrid (Madrid) - 229 games, 13 goals;
since 2007 - the Portuguese national team - 101 games, 7 goals;
from 2017 - Besiktas (Istanbul) - 27 games, 4 goals.

Achievements:

European Champion 2016.
Bronze European Championship 2012 .
The Bronze Confederations Cup 2017.
World champion among clubs 2014, 2016.
2004 Intercontinental Cup.
Champions League 2014, 2016, 2017.
UEFA Super Cup 2014, 2016.
"Gold" of Portugal 2005, 2006.
"Gold" of Spain 2008, 2012, 2017.
Portuguese Cup 2006.
Spanish Cup 2011, 2014.
Portuguese Super Cup 2006.
Spanish Super Cup 2008, 2012.
The first Latino to play 100 matches for the European team.

Distinctive qualities:

Extremely unyielding, up to stiffness, and sometimes cruelty in the game.
Adheres to the tactics of physical intimidation of rivals.
Inclined to a provocative game.
Sometimes frankly rude, loses self-control.
Seen in simulations.

Personal life:

His wife is Portuguese Anna-Sofia Moreira, who has a dentist diploma. Two daughters - Angeli-Sofia and Emeli-Maria.

"Baby" to grow and grow

The fact that there is another soccer player Pepe in the world, the big football world learned about three years ago. The son of parents from Côte d'Ivoire, born in France, at this time made his way to the French League 1. He played for Orleans so much that in 2016 he received the title of the best player in the League.

Nicolas - although not a super-scorer, but plays excellently on the flank, is strong in assists, and is technical. Only last year, he plays in his first club, which can be attributed to the top. “Lille” decided to use the talent of Pepe - a footballer from France to the full: expanded the area of his action, now they play on him, and not as before - he is on someone. Therefore, in one last season, the grateful indigenous Afro-Frenchman scored more goals than in his entire previous career. He is now on a “pencil” at the best clubs in Europe.

However, unlike Pepe Sr., Pepe Jr. still has to grow and grow.

Dossier 2 "Pepe of the Franco-Ivorian"

Nicholas (Nicolas) Pepe

Soccer player

Born May 29, 1995 in Mantes la Jolie.

Role: striker.

Anthropometry: 178 cm, 68 kg.