🎥 Red cards and records! Looking back on Pepe's iconic 23 year career | OneFootball

Legendary centre-back Pepe officially announced his retirement from football on Thursday following a 23 year career at the top.

The 41-year-old first began his career with Marítimo before joining Portuguese giants Porto. An eventual switch to Real Madrid was next before joining Besiktas and then Porto again for a farewell tour.

Alongside 141 caps for Portugal, which included winning the 2016 EUROs, his career was one for the books. Here is a look at some of his best moments after 878 games and 34 trophies.

A Los Blancos legend

Following an impressive showing for Porto, Real Madrid signed Pepe in 2007, where he developed an immense partnership with Sergio Ramos at the back.

He played there for 10 seasons, won 13 trophies and made a total of 334 appearances.

“It was amazing to spend 10 years at the biggest club in the world. The first day I set foot in Madrid, I was very happy,” Pepe said in his retirement announcement.

“After 10 years I left with my head held high, I always gave everything for Real Madrid.”

A red card lover

One of the things that made Pepe so iconic was his aggressive style of play.

If you supported his teams, your anxiety would sometimes be through the roof. If you were with the opposition, you hoped to see him sent off early.

He was once handed a 10-game suspension after tackling Getafe player Javier Casquero in the box and subsequently kicking him after the fact.

A leader in 2016

After Cristiano Ronaldo was forced off injured in the 2016 EURO final, a different veteran had to rise to the occaison.

It could have been a very different scoreline if manager Fernando Santos had not had Pepe to rely on against France.

A UCL master

With three Champions League titles to his name, the Portugal defender knew what was required of him on Europe’s biggest stage.

Thanks to his skills, attackers worldwide were frustrated whether he played for Porto, Besiktas, or Real Madrid.

He is also the oldest outfield player to play and score in UCL history.

World Cup glory

You don’t see centre-backs scoring too often, let alone at the World Cup, but Pepe managed to do so twice on the big stage.

He scored in the 2018 Round of 16 against Uruguay and in the Round of 16 four years later against Switzerland.

Those goals are two of his total eight for the national team.

He became the oldest player to score in a knockout round game at the men’s World Cup as a result.

That Ronaldo friendship

We of course have to remember the bromance that developed between Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo.

From the early days in Portugal to Real Madrid and then lifting the country’s first European Cup, it was certainly a friendship to witness.

Ronaldo was among the many players who wrote emotional comments on Pepe’s Instagram account following his retirement announcement.

The return to Porto

Many players prefer to end their careers at home, and Pepe was one of them. The Portugal international had two stints with Porto to bookend his career and made 288 appearances, registering 17 goals and 11 assists.

Truly himself to the end

Pepe’s last match for the national team saw him break the record for the oldest outfield player to ever play in a EUROs match. What a way to wrap up your career!

What were some of your favourite Pepe moments? Let us know in the comments below.