Pepe overtakes Totti: Porto defender oldest Champions League goalscorer

With over 40 years

The oldest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League wanted to score the goal – for his mother. “Today is a special day for me. It’s my mother’s birthday and I told her that I will do what I can to score a goal,” said Pepe after his FC Porto’s 2-0 win against Royal Antwerp FC. At 40 years and 254 days or eight months and twelve days, when he scored in stoppage time, he was older than any footballer in the Champions League before him.

Pepe replaced Francesco Totti as the oldest goalscorer in the premier class. The Italian scored for AS Roma in November 2014 at the age of 38 years and 59 days (or one month and 29 days) (1-1 against CSKA). “The feeling is indescribable because anyone who plays at this level at this age – and for a big club like Porto – knows that it takes a lot of work, a lot of sacrifices and a huge passion for this sport.” His last goal Pepe scored in the Champions League for Real Madrid in the 2012/13 season.

For the 2016 Portuguese European champion, it is the second “premier class” record in a short time: he set his record as the oldest field player in the 4-1 win in Antwerp on the previous matchday. He also overtook an Italian: Alessandro Costacurta, AC Milan icon. Pepe increased his lead in the statistics this week. Pepe is still a few years away from becoming the oldest professional in the history of the most important European cup: goalkeeper Marco Ballotta was 43 years, eight months and eight days old when Lazio Rome lost 3-1 to Real in 2007.

Antwerp is safely eliminated from the Champions League due to the defeat. FC Porto moved to first place in Group H due to FC Barcelona’s defeat in Hamburg against Shakhtar Donetsk and has the best chance of reaching the round of 16. Porto and Barcelona each have nine points.

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