Pepe Reshapes Champions League History

Pepe has officially become the UEFA Champions League’s oldest goalscorer as he captained Porto to a 2-0 victory over Royal Antwerp last night, Tuesday 7 November.

The 40-year-old centre-back claimed a stoppage-time goal with help from his teammate, Francisco Conceição, as the two Group H clubs faced off at Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal.

As the first player over 40 to score in the European tournament, Pepe’s goal has broken the previous record held by Roma striker Francesco Totti, who scored at 38 years old in November 2014.

In honour of his achievement, Porto bestowed the club’s Merit and Values ​​award upon Pepe. His teammate, João Mário, was also elected as UEFA’s Most Valuable Player of the match, while goalkeeper Diogo Costa received the Clean Sheet award.

While some might suggest that the Portugal defender’s age is a disadvantage, it could be argued that his wealth of experience is too significant to ignore. Pepe’s name still carries great weight with his former team, Real Madrid, having helped the La Liga giants win the Champions League three times.

Porto will be eager to maintain their winning streak as they face off against Vitoria SC on Saturday, 11 November, at Estádio Dom Afonso Henriques in Guimarães, Portugal.

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