Portugal international defender Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira popularly known as ‘Pepe’ has revealed that his love and passion for the game have been the secrets behind his longevity, Soccernet.football reports.
Pepe became the oldest player to feature in a EURO finals; the Portugal centre-back was aged 41 years 117 days on 22 June, when he played 90 minutes of the 3-0 win against Türkiye.
With Portugal’s qualification to the Round of 16 already secured, Pepe was rested on matchday three as Roberto Martinez’s side stumbled to a shocking 2-0 defeat to debutants Georgia.
Pepe will likely return to Portugal’s starting lineup when the Selecao battle with Slovenia on Monday for a quarterfinal ticket.
And the former Real Madrid star expects his passion to continue to carry him on the field of play.
“My secret? My passion for football,” Pepe said on still playing at the top level at 41, as per UEFA.
“I’ve said many times that it’s a privilege to get up and do what I love most with a lot of concentration and competitiveness, which is what I have. The love I put into every action, both in training and in the game. That’s it.”
Portugal have now qualified from their group on all nine appearances at a EURO final tournament.
The Selecao are looking to win the European Championships for the second time in their history and the first since their maiden triumph in 2016.
Pepe believes Portugal will need the help of their fans to achieve success at Euro 2024, starting with Slovenia, a team that defeated Roberto Martinez’s men 2-0 in a friendly game back in March.
“Portugal were among the best teams statistically in the group stage,” Pepe noted.
“From the first game here in Germany to the last, the fans have always been with us. The fans continued to support us when we went behind to Czechia; maybe it was that confidence that allowed us to turn the game around.
“We’re counting on our fans. We’re going to do our best to be able to knock Slovenia out. We know it’s going to be a very difficult game, not least because of our recent history. It’s about avoiding making the mistakes we made in that defeat back in March so that we can come out on top.”
The game between Portugal and Slovenia is slated for the Frankfurt Arena tonight.