Pepe, at 41 years and 113 days old, became the oldest player to participate in a European Championship, surpassing Hungary’s Gábor Király. He achieved this milestone during Portugal’s 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in their opening game.
Lamine Yamal of Spain recently became the youngest player to participate in the tournament, just days before Pepe set the record as the oldest player at the European Championship.
Pepe, originally from Brazil, made his debut for Portugal at 24 years old under coach Luiz Felipe Scolari in November 2007 while playing for Real Madrid.
Since then, he has earned 138 caps for Portugal, scoring eight goals and receiving 25 yellow cards. His only red card came during Portugal’s opening match against Germany at the 2014 World Cup.
Pepe has participated in 20 matches across five European Championships, a feat surpassed only by his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, aged 39, made his Euro debut in 2004, where Portugal reached the final, and recently became the first player to compete in six European Championships.
