Con 40 springs behind their backs, Pepe He continues to be in the elite of European football. Squeezing out the final stretch of his career in the Portthe center-back made history this Tuesday in the match that measured the Portuguese team against the Shakhtar Donetsk. And Pepe added his 19th season participating in a match in the final phase of the Champions League.
The experienced defender thus managed to become the second footballer with the most campaigns played in the top continental competition, equaling three true myths like Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus Turin) and Leo Messi (Barcelona y PSG).
His feat places him on this list only behind a former teammate of his: Iker Casillas. The legendary former Spanish goalkeeper is to date the only footballer who has reached the 20 courses in the Champions League, playing in the European tournament with Real Madrid and also with Porto itself, with which Pepe has reached the second place on the list.
The defender, in fact, only one edition has been lost of the competition since he debuted in it in the campaign 2004-05. It was in the campaign 2019-20, in which he played the Europa League. In the rest, at least, he has always played some minutes in the Champions League, whether with Porto (from 2004-05 to 2006-07, 2018-19 and from 2020-21 to the current campaign), with Real Madrid (from 2007-08 to 2016-17) or with Besiktas (2017-18).
Sergio Ramos, to equal Benzema in the ‘top 6’
With Casillas at the top and Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Giggs and Pepe sharing second place, the sixth position After these 5 myths it belongs to a Karim Benzema that added 18 seasons in the Champions League during his spells at Olympique Lyonnais and Real Madrid. A position that the Frenchman occupies alone at the moment, but that it seems that he will share this week.
And it is that Sergio Ramosbrand new signing of Sevillawill also add his 18th year in the tournament of the Old Continent if he plays a single minute in this edition, something that seems more than likely and that he should achieve this very Wednesday, September 20 if there is no last-minute setback.
The one of Camas debuted in the great showcase of European football in the season 2005-06 with Real Madrid and participated in it uninterruptedly during his stay at the Santiago Bernabéu until the course 2020-21. His streak was cut short in the campaign 2021-22since physical problems prevented him from participating in the tournament with PSGplaying again in the Champions League with the Parisian team in his last campaign in Paris.
2023-09-20 02:10:15
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