Now 37, Porto defender Pepe is still going strong - but is he still a world class centreback?
There’s little disputing that Pepe was, in the past, a world class defender, at the very least in his prime. You don’t play for Real Madrid for a decade and earn 108 caps for Portugal without being one of the very best in the business.
There is no escaping the fact that age is not on his side, though; how much longer he will play at the highest level is far from certain, but he is an exceptional professional and is still in good physical shape to continue going for a couple of years.
His season has been somewhat hindered with injury problems, though, which does kind of mirror the expected decline observed with age, but has still taken to the field on 27 occasions this campaign - 2,126 minutes to be precise, which is a rather impressive feat for a player in his late 30s at the highest level. No doubt he’d have played even more had it not been for the injury, too.
Top defenders don’t necessarily become poorer defenders just because they get older, either. There have been plenty of top-quality defenders who have played deep into their 30s and remained at the highest level. Paolo Maldini is the best example, of course. He was nearly 41 by the time he retired from club duty, and played 30 Serie A matches in his final season at the club, a remarkable achievement for a player of his age. He was one of the greats, his longevity testament to that, and that Pepe is still going now, at both club and national level, puts him well on par with Maldini.
A lot of players would have retired from international duty by now; Pepe, however, is still going strong. Will he look to remain with Portugal for another year so he can feature in the delayed Euros next summer? It’s impossible to say with certainty, but knowing Pepe, you wouldn’t bet against it.
Pepe, however, was the type of player that used his physicality - his strength, his speed - to become the world-class athlete he once was. While his reading and understanding of the game, and his courageous last-ditch defending, remains, he has, it seems fair to say, lost some of that pace and power that he once called upon.
Is he world class? He was, without a shadow of a doubt. One of the greatest defenders of this generation. Whether he still is is far more debatable, but ultimately he does still have all of those defensive instincts and the athleticism to perform to a high standard at the top end of the Portuguese game. He’s not recognised as a world class talent anymore across the globe, but he is still one of the very best in the business.