Pepe becomes the oldest scorer in World Cup history
The former Madrid central defender became the second oldest player to score in a World Cup, only behind Roger Milla
Portuguese Pepe continues to be arguably one of the best defenders in soccer.
During Tuesday’s game in the knockout stage against Switzerland, Pepe scored with a header off a corner kick in the first of half of the match, bringing the score to 2-0 at halftime.
With the goal, Pepe becomes the second oldest player to score a goal in the tournament, only behind the legendary Cameroonian player Roger Milla. Pepe did it at 39 years, 8 months, and 17 days, while Milla did at 42 years, 1 month, and 8 days in the 1994 World Cup against Russia.
What Pepe did achieve is being the oldest player to score in the World Cup qualifying rounds, since Milla’s goal with Cameroon was in the group stage. That is to say, the goal of the central defender, formerly of Madrid, has a very high significance as it is a match with a qualification for the next round, the quarterfinals.
Pepe arrived at the World Cup not feeling his best and was unable to play the first game against Ghana due to injury. He, fortunately, recovered in time and came back with the same competitive character as always.
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Besides showing that anything is possible, Pepe has also managed to make history with his goal against Switzerland.
Portugal is now set to play Morocco in the Quarter-Finals on December 10 at the Al Thumama Stadium.