After his Portuguese team was knocked out of the European Championship, veteran defender Pepe was in tears. He is already 41 years old, but his future in the national team is still open.
Portugal’s defender Pepe is apparently still thinking about continuing his national team career at the age of 41. “This is not the right time to talk about a certain departure from the national team. I will have the opportunity to talk about it later,” said the oldest player in European Championship history after Portugal’s quarter-final exit at the European Football Championship against France.
Portugal lost this rematch of the 2016 European Championship final 3:5 on penalties. Pepe was left in tears on the pitch at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion. The defender, who has been without a club since July 1, was consoled by his friend and long-time teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Pepe most recently played for FC Porto.
Portugal’s superstar Ronaldo has also not yet announced the end of his national team career and has only stated that he will not be taking part in the next European Championship in 2028. Coach Roberto Martinez also remained tight-lipped on the subject and did not want Pepe’s tears to be interpreted as a sign of farewell: “He cried because it is difficult to accept being eliminated with such a performance,” said the Spanish coach of the Portuguese team. “We were great. The players gave everything. We should be proud of them.
Source: Stern
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