Evergreen Porto captain Pepe signs contract extension at 40 years of age | OneFootball

The extraordinary longevity of Pepe’s playing career was further emphasised on Sunday when the Porto captain signed a contract extension keeping him at the Estádio do Dragão until 2024.

The Portugal centre-back will be 41 years old when his latest deal ends.

Porto released a message officialising the contract renewal yesterday, stating: “Pepe and FC Porto have fulfilled a long-held desire to renew the contract until 2024.”

Pepe is currently playing his eighth season as a Porto player, a spell split into two spells having represented Real Madrid for a decade and Besiktas for one and a half years, in between.

He has won a total of 12 trophies for Porto: four championships (2005/06, 2006/07, 2019/20, 2021/22), three Portuguese Cups (2005/06, 2019/20, 2021/22), three Super Cups (2006, 2020, 2022), one League Cup (2022/23) and one Intercontinental Cup (2004).

The veteran retains energy levels and an athleticism which is the envy of players half his age, as shown this past weekend when he sprinted the length of the pitch to snuff out a dangerous break by Paços de Ferreira striker Alexandre Guedes. The centre forward is 11 years younger than Pepe.

Pepe is a living legend of Portuguese football, having played a key role in the greatest moment in the history of the Seleção. The central defender was at his imperious best as he helped Portugal win Euro 2016, and was widely considered man-of-the-match in the final against France.

Porto currently hold all four domestic titles, the league, Portuguese Cup, league cup and super cup, but are four points behind Benfica with five matches remaining in the 2022/23 Primeira Liga season.

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