In Pepe's decade at Real Madrid, he won La Liga and the Champions League three times each, as well as lifting the Copa del Rey twice. But it was not all plain sailing for the Brazil-born Portugal international.

Pepe matured dramatically during his time at the club. In his early years after joining from Benfica in 2007 for €30 million, he was mostly a known for a lack of self-control, but he emerged from the red mist to become a strong influence in a defence that has emerged as Europe's outstanding side.

Here are five moments charting his progress from hothead to cult hero at the Bernabeu ...

1. Kicks Getafe's Javier Casquero in the head

Pepe will perhaps always be best known for the April 2009 incident with Getafe's Javi Casquero which almost ended his Madrid career soon after it had begun.

Running toward the Madrid goal, Casquero reacted a touch dramatically to a hand on his shoulder from the covering defender. That did not even barely explain Pepe's reaction, however. Even before his opponent had hit the ground, Pepe kicked out wildly and caught the former Madrid youth midfielder on the thigh. His boot then made contact with Casquero's rear, back and head in quick succession.

Even after the referee flashed a red card, the aggressor dropped a knee into the prone Casquero's back, squeezed the back of his head with his fingers and tried to stamp on his knee. Pepe then punched Casquero's teammate Juan Albin in the face.

When finally ushered to the sideline, he shouted angrily at the assistant referee and fourth official.

"It has been the worst day of my life as a player and as a person," Pepe told Marca later. "I just lost it completely."

La Liga's authorities handed down a 10-game ban, and while Madrid initially considered firing Pepe for misconduct, they eventually offered him anger management counselling instead.

The incident cemented the hard man's status with Madrid's Ultras -- who began to chant during games: "Pepe, Pepe, Pepe, matalo," which translates as: "Pepe, Pepe, Pepe, kill him."

2. Stamps on Lionel Messi's hand

The arrival of Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid coach did little to curb the wilder elements of Pepe's on-pitch behaviour. Pepe needed little encouragement to carry out his boss' orders to impose himself on the pitch, especially in Clasicos against Barcelona.

The best example came at the Bernabeu in January 2012. Early in the second half, Lionel Messi was floored after a surging run forward was ended with a foul. As he appealed to the referee, Pepe walked by and "accidentally" stepped on Messi's outstretched hand.

The officials did not spot what happened, luckily for Pepe who was already on a yellow at the time. He also escaped further disciplinary action after issuing a half-hearted apology saying what happened was "an involuntary act".

Senior figures at Madrid, including the club's then sporting director Zinedine Zidane, tried to play the incident down.

"Pepe is a charming guy, a well-mannered person," Zidane told AS. "But when he goes on to the pitch he is obsessed with winning and that makes him makes mistakes."

The Madrid Ultras changed their chant to: "Pepe, Pepe, Pepe, pisalo [stamp on him]."

3. Head-butts Diego Godin and claims to have been hit himself

Pepe also showed a theatrical side, which saw him drop dramatically to the ground at the slightest touch from an opponent.

The most obvious dive came during a 2-2 La Liga clash at Atletico Madrid in 2014, just as Diego Simeone's side had emerged as a proper rival in the Spanish capital.

Pepe and Atletico defender Diego Godin were involved in the usual push and shove while awaiting a corner, only for the Madrid man to deliberately headbutt the back of Godin's head, then fall down and writhe around holding his nose.

4. Birthday celebrations

By the 2014-15 season, the veteran had become the calming influence in the centre of the Madrid back four, with his strength in the air and positional sense making him a useful partner for the more erratic club captain Ramos and less experienced Raphael Varane.

He became a cult hero for Madrid supporters, and not just the Ultras. A quite surreal 10-minute long video put together for his 32nd birthday in February 2015 showed fans of all ages offering emotional messages of congratulations and support.

AS pundit Alvaro de la Rosa credited Carlo Ancelotti with having a calming influence on the fiery character.

"Ancelotti has managed to transform Pepe's anger into a more constructive attitude for the team," he wrote amid general happiness at the Bernabeu that the player had turned down an offer from Manchester City.

5. Goal vs. Atletico Madrid in final appearance

Pepe's final game for Madrid was painful for various reasons. The 34-year-old was recalled by Zidane for early April's La Liga derby against Atletico, with his physicality required even as it appeared likely he was heading towards an exit.

He opened the scoring early in the second half, rising to head home Toni Kroos' cross, for his 15th goal in 334 appearances for the club. Soon afterwards, an inadvertent kick received from the Germany midfielder cracked a rib, and he came off.

That turned out to be his last appearance in a Madrid shirt, and bitterness has followed. Pepe declared himself fit a few weeks back, but did not feature as Madrid sealed a first La Liga title in five seasons. He did not make the bench for last Saturday's 4-1 Champions League final victory over Juventus either.

"They have been 10 years of a lot of pride," Pepe said as he announced his exit this week.

"I gave my body and soul. I decided I was going back in January, when I saw the club were not treating me in the best way. I don't want to blame anyone. What [Zidane] is doing for Madrid is spectacular, but there are things I still don't understand. We did not say goodbye properly."

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by DERMOT CORRIGAN

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