In the age of football memes and trolls, we have several footballers who call forth enduring associated stereotypes in our minds. Suarez as a pantomime Dracula, Ozil assisting us even in our household chores and Torres missing everything including his exams and driving tests. Then there is Pepe who is yet another prominent feature in internet's most popular trolls -grappling and wrestling his way into the murky world of the Internet.
However, Pepe is so much more than that. 10 years into his Real Madrid career, having made 334 appearances (only five foreigners have ever made more appearances for Real), Pepe announced his impending departure a few weeks back.
"I have had years of great pride in which I have given my body and soul," Pepe said. "But I took the decision in January when it was clear which way it was going," the defender had stated.
‘Legend’ is a tricky word in football parlance. What makes you a legend for a football club? Consistency over ability or vice versa? The number of years or the number of trophies? Sticking with the club through thick and thin or leading them during years of glorious success? What we can all agree upon, however, is that a player can be a legend for a football club without being considered a legend in the wider context of global football.
Suarez will forever be one of the greats to have graced Anfield – though he might not be remembered fondly by fans of other Premier League clubs.
Therefore, love him or hate him, Pepe is a Real Madrid legend. Just hear us out – we have five reasons for saying so:
#1 Consistency
Further up the pitch in a football match, it is the unpredictability that is treasured – an ingenious skill, an outrageous flick, or a moment of inspired improvisation. Go back some 30-40 yards, and the tables turn. Consistency, composure and reliability are the traits that set a defender apart.
10 years of solidity, therefore, mark Pepe out. Other than a moment of madness in 2009 that resulted in a 10-game ban, Pepe has mostly been available for Real Madrid to call upon his services. It is telling that in the course of his ban, Madrid lost five out of the next six games, costing them the title.
More often than not, Pepe has been one of the first names on the teamsheet – a sheet, it must be said, that featured some of the best in European football.
#2 Loyalty
Pepe wears his heart on his sleeve. For a single-minded defender like him, this may come out in several ugly forms, especially in the El Clasico clashes where Pepe looks like a Real fan who got the chance to realise his life's dream.
At a club like Real Madrid, you are always in danger if you are not one of the best available in your position. It must be tempting to contemplate pulling on a jersey that weighs less heavily on your shoulders, where there is no risk of your own fans turning against you. But like the fighter he is, Pepe stuck through, till he painfully realized the club no longer wanted him the way he wanted the club.
#3 Style of Play
It is the 94th minute of a football match. Your team is hanging on to a slender lead, and the home fans are urging them on. The opposition is knocking on the door, hitting the woodwork, delivering cross after cross. What is the best sight for a football fan in such a situation? Not a stress relieving nutmeg, no. Not a Cryuff turn, not an Elastico. It is a 50-50 tackle – the belief that your defender will put his body on the line and risk everything for your team.
Pepe's style of play is perhaps the definition of the phrase no nonsense defending. Pepe has taken the phrase "taking one for the team" too seriously in accumulating so many yellow cards, but he has become wiser over the years.
Pepe's last red card for Real Madrid was in 2011. He has not been in double figures for yellow cards for the last four seasons. There, he is not as bad a guy as you might have thought, eh?
#4 Fan favourite
In hindsight, Pepe's eventual downfall started with his fallout with Mourinho. He publicly stood up for Iker Casillas, calling out the coach for his treatment of the club captain. Mourinho dismissed it as jealousy on account of being ousted by Varane, but there was more to it. Like any other Real Madrid fan, he couldn't endure the sight of the living legend being treated with such derision.
Over the years, Real Madrid fans changed their chant from "Pepe, kill him!" to "Pepe, score a goal!" After the reckless expeditions of his youth, Pepe evolved into one of the leaders in the team. When he considered departure in 2013, Ancelotti dissuaded him. Ancelotti said then, "He gives us confidence, personality and he helps the other players; he is very important for them." He stayed and helped his team to their La Decima one year later.
#5 Trophies
Ultimately, that's how you cement your status as a legend. No other irrefutable, unquestionable way. You win trophies – and you win so many of them that your contribution can't be called into question.
Three La Liga titles, two Copa Del Rey trophies and three Champions League triumphs. Pepe leaves with his hands full of trophies. He has played for seven managers, and from the calmness of Pellegrini through the fury of Mourinho till the shrewdness of Zidane, he has remained consistent and steadfast.
Pepe loved Real Madrid – and he has amassed an enviable collection of silverware to show for it.
