Following Pepe's remarkable performance against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, KickOff's Lukhanyo Mtuta discusses four players who don't get enough credit for their careers, including the former Real Madrid defender.
Pepe - FC Porto
Aged 41, Pepe put on a stellar performance for FC Porto in the round of 16 of the Champions League, with the veteran leaving his name on many people's lips. Although his side ended up losing the tie through penalties on the night, the centre-back was arguably Porto's best player, with his defensive masterclass capping a stunning record of becoming the first outfit player over the age of 40 to feature in a UCL match. However, unlike some of his fellow colleagues like Sergio Ramos, Virgil van Dijk, and perhaps even Thiago Silva, the Portuguese star is often overlooked when discussing some of the best centre-backs of the modern era. Pepe is third most-capped defender by his country and sits third for most appearances (134) - only trailing Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Moutinho. At club level, he boasts 30 titles, including three Champions League trophies with Los Blancos. Given that he is still performing at the highest level and is likely to represent Portugal at the 2024 UEFA European Championship later this year, Pepe certainly does not get the credit he deserves.
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Toni Kroos - Real Madrid
A staple of arguably Real's most successful era, Kroos' name is often not mentioned in the same vein as Andreas Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, and Andrea Pirlo. Perhaps most notably, the German seems to be held in less regard than his midfield partner Luka Modric, who won the Ballon d'Or award in 2018. However, the 34-year-old is still going strong at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he has won four Champions League titles in over 400 appearances for the club. In total he has five UCL trophies, with his first coming during his time at Bayern Munich. He is also among the short list of players who have won the Champions League and the FIFA World Cup after his triumph with Die Mannschaft in 2014. Furthermore, he recently announced his return to international football ahead of the Euros in June, which is testament to his quality and longevity as a top-class midfielder.
Olivier Giroud - AC Milan
It still comes as a shock to many that Giroud is France's all-time top scorer with 56 goals. This places the centre-forward ahead of iconic Les Bleus forwards like Thierry Henry, David Trezegeut, and Just Fontaine. The 37-year-old won the 2018 World Cup with his country and won Europe's elite club competition with Chelsea in 2021. The marksman has well over 200 goals in league competitions in just over 500 appearances, including 90 goals in the Premier League - which makes him the third highest scoring Frenchman in the English topflight behind Henry and Nicolas Anelka. Despite being well into the twilight of his career, Giroud has been productive this term as well, having contributed 14 goals and nine assists for AC Milan in 2023/24, per Transfermarkt.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - FC Barcelona
When discussing the best goalkeepers of the last decade, Ter Stegen tends to be overlooked, with the likes of Alisson Becker, Manuel Neuer, and Thibaut Courtois seemingly taking more prominence in that regard. However, it is by no fluke that he has been the number one at Barcelona for 10 years. The now 31-year-old's legacy has arguably been hindered by the fact he has lived in the shadow of Neuer for the better part of his international career. He won a continental treble in his first season at Barca back in 2014/15 and has since racked up a total of 16 titles in the Blaugrana shirt. He is also Barca's third-best goalkeeper of all time in terms of clean sheets, having not conceded in 122 of his 273 LALIGA appearances to date.
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