Pepê starts the new season as one of FC Porto's most experienced players | OneFootball

When he signed for FC Porto in the summer of 2021, Pepê was seen as one of the brightest rising talents in Brazilian football and, from Porto’s perspective, as an investment for the medium and long term. Four seasons later, he is preparing to begin his sixth campaign in blue and white and, in a squad heavily renewed last summer, he has become one of the most experienced players in the dressing room.

In fact, the Brazilian is already the fourth current squad member with the most years in the first team, behind only Diogo Costa, Cláudio Ramos and Zaidu. In terms of matches played, only the goalkeeper and team captain, with 246, is ahead of Pepê, who has 240. In the Champions League, a competition FC Porto will return to in 2026/27, the Brazil international is also among the most experienced, with 18 appearances, behind only Zaidu (28) and Diogo Costa (23).

Beyond the scale of these numbers, Pepê is regarded by Francesco Farioli as an important player, not only because of the versatility that allows him to perform several roles, but also because of the influence he has in the dressing room. He is one of the players most respected by his teammates, largely because of the way he works every day and his willingness to support the younger players, as can be seen, for example, in the relationship he has with William Gomes. Within the group, there is also a belief that the Brazilian remains one of the most talented players in the squad and someone capable of deciding games almost single-handedly.

At the same time, there is a shared view among teammates, the club structure and the player himself: he still needs to turn everything he produces on the pitch into end product more consistently. His ability to beat opponents, carry the ball and create space has never been in doubt, but finishing is still seen as the area where he can make a decisive leap in quality. If he can become more efficient in the final third, Pepê could become even more influential and significantly improve his individual numbers.

An improvement that would also have a statistical impact, since the winger is only 16 goals away from breaking into the top 10 Brazilian scorers in FC Porto’s history. Even so, that mark could only be reached in 2026/27 if he substantially improves the goalscoring rate he has shown in recent seasons, in which he has never managed more than eight goals.

If he stays at the club for the entire season, Pepê could also climb another historical ranking, with a strong chance of entering the group of the five foreign players with the most appearances for FC Porto, overtaking Herrera, who made 245 appearances, and Marcano, who finished with 267. Depending on the number of matches he plays over the course of the season, he could even catch Corona, currently fourth on the list, with 287 matches.

The market could still stir things up

Pepê was an important player in FC Porto’s title-winning 2025/26 campaign, with Farioli rarely willing to do without his versatility in the starting eleven. It is therefore no surprise that the winger’s name continues to be linked with other clubs, with teams from the Premier League, Serie A and MLS keeping tabs on him. So far, those expressions of interest have not yet resulted in concrete offers to Porto’s board, but there is still plenty of time before the transfer window closes, so the situation could change.

It should be remembered that Pepê renewed his contract with the Dragons in August last year until June 2028, with an option for one more season, and is protected by a €75 million release clause.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.