It took Pepe just thirty-seven minutes to make an impact at this years World Cup and yes obviously it was for all the wrong reasons, as is the way with this particularly volatile centre-back.

He tangled with Germany’s star-man Thomas Muller inside Portugal’s half. As the German tried to close down the Portuguese defender from behind, Pepe raised an arm to shield the ball away from Muller. There is no doubt Pepe caught Muller but the German forward made a bit of a meal of going down and holding his face.

But the reaction from Pepe was totally ridiculous and unprofessional. The Brazilian born defender marched straight towards Muller (who was on the ground) and headbutted the German. Now again it wasn’t exactly a vicious headbutt but we all know that you can’t do that on the football field. If you do it and get caught, then you’ll get sent-off! Its a scenario that all players know will happen, if they are stupid enough to lose their temper and react with their heads towards opponents, then they will see red.

Now the two biggest problems I have with this Pepe saga are…

1. He did it right in front of the referee. Now anyone with any brains, would have walked over to Muller and shouted in his face or wag a finger at the Bayern Munich man, maybe try and try and get a reaction or unsettle him. 

2. The referee looked at the initial clash between the players and didn’t award Germany with the free-kick. So why on earth did Portugal’s number three decide to get into a physical altercation with Muller at all? It was so stupid and crazy!

Pepe’s side were two goals down when he decided to have that moment of madness, giving his side no chance of giving Germany a game. He will now also miss the clash against the U.S, a huge game now for Portugal after their humiliating defeat to Germany and with USA beating Ghana 2-1.

The hothead has been sent off on numerous occasions throughout his career. When he does concentrate on just defending, he is a solid central defender that adds a lot of strength to the back-lines at Real Madrid and Portugal.

But the fact is Pepe is now thirty-one years old. He has fifty-nine international caps, has won domestic titles in Portugal and Spain plus a Champions League and played at two Euros and a previous World Cup. So he should be seen as a figurehead to the rest of the squad, someone who they can rely on and who can guide others.

Yet as he keeps on proving, no one can tame nor trust Pepe and he continuously lets down himself, his teammates, his coach and his adopted nations fans.

Posted on June 17th, 2014 by scott
Filed under: Article, World Cup