With two easy victories against Liechtenstein (4:0) and in Luxembourg (6:0), the Portuguese national team made a successful start to the EM 2024 qualifiers, which were achieved thanks to the other opponents in EM qualifier group J, who also did not seem overpowering Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland and Slovakia is considered a formality.
Gonçalo Inácio and Antonio Silva push after
For Roberto Martinez, who at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar surprisingly had to travel home with the Belgian selection after the preliminary round, the debut as coach of Portugal was successful with the two mandatory wins.
A young central defender, 21-year-old Gonçalo Inácio from Sporting Lisbon, made his debut in a Portugal jersey against Liechtenstein, and Antonio Silva from Benfica, who had already made his debut in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup and played 90 minutes at the tournament himself South Korea (1: 2) was used, Martinez even has an option for the center of defense that is two years younger – in addition to the established Ruben Dias, who at only 25 years of age should still be the fixed point in the Portuguese defense for a long time to come.
It therefore remains to be seen whether Martinez will continue to rely on Pepe in view of the promising selection for the future and other alternatives such as David Carmo (FC Porto), Tiago Djalo (Lille OSC) or Diogo Leite (1. FC Union Berlin). But it is now clear that the veteran, who has been 40 since February, will continue his career beyond the current season and, after 133 international matches so far, will continue to be available for the national team.
Pepe, who was not an option against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg due to injury, has now extended his contract at FC Porto, which was actually expiring, by a year and is highly motivated to prove that, despite his passport, he is still not on the scrap heap.
New contract at FC Porto
“I’m very nervous because this contract means a lot to me. That means that many might doubt my abilities, even though I’m 40 years old, but I usually say honestly as a player and as a person that I owe a lot to FC Porto and I thank the president, the people at the club, my coach and didn’t want to disappoint my teammates,” Pepe is quoted as saying in an official statement from FC Porto.
After national coach Martinez had declared on his debut that a player’s age is irrelevant to his performance, and that 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is still an integral part of the national team, Pepe can also hope to celebrate his 134th birthday in June. Play an international match and take part in the EURO 2024 in Germany next year.
2023-04-24 11:21:24
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