Pepe

Real Madrid's most ferocious defender — three Champions Leagues and a formidable partnership with Ramos.

Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira — Pepe — was born in Maceió, Brazil in 1983 and chose Portuguese citizenship through his family background. Porto sold him to Real Madrid for £24 million in 2007. His ten Madrid seasons produced three Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles as the physical anchor alongside Sergio Ramos. He won Euro 2016 with Portugal — the country's first major international trophy — and the Nations League in 2019. He represented Portugal 141 times. His playing style combined genuine defensive ability with physical aggression — he accumulated red cards and disciplinary incidents throughout his career that overshadowed his legitimate quality as a reader of the game and an aerial defender. He returned to Porto in 2019 and at age 41 was still starting competitive matches in European football — one of the longest elite careers in the game's history. His combination of genuine championship-winning defending with the controversies of his career makes him one of football's most discussed individual figures.

• Champions League 3x (2014,2016,2018)
• La Liga 2x
• Euro (Portugal 2016)
• Nations League (2019)