José Manoel Soares (30 January 1908 – 24 October 1931), known as Pepe, was a Portuguese
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
. During his brief career, he played as an
inside forward for
CF Belenenses
Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, commonly known as Os Belenenses (), is a Portuguese sports club best known for its football team. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest Portuguese sports clubs. It is based in the 25,000-seat Estádio do Reste ...
and the
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
national football team, and was considered by many to be Portugal's best player of the time. Despite the young age at which he died, Pépe won two Portuguese Championships (
Taça de Portugal) and three Lisbon Championships (
Campeonato de Lisboa
The Campeonato de Lisboa (English: Championship of Lisbon) was a regional football league in Portugal, situated at the third level of the Portuguese football league system. The division started in 1906, even before Lisbon Football Association was c ...
).
Early life
José Manuel Soares Louro, better known as "Pepe", was born to a poor family at No. 17 Rua do Embaixador, in Belém, western
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, on 30 January 1908.
Club career
At the age of 18, Pepe made his first appearance for
Belenenses
Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, commonly known as Os Belenenses (), is a Portuguese sports club best known for its football team. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest Portuguese sports clubs. It is based in the 25,000-seat Estádio do Reste ...
on 28 February 1926 against
Benfica, entering the match in the 75th minute with Belenenses down 4–1. In the subsequent 13 minutes, Belenenses scored three goals, tying the contest at 4–4. In the final minute, Benfica were called for a foul in the penalty area. With none of the Belenenses players stepping forward to take the penalty, Pepe, the rookie, was called in by his captain to take the shot. He did not fail. Belenenses won 4–5, giving birth to the expression "a quarter-hour to Belenenses," an expression still used in Portugal.
Soares played 140 games in his club career, all with FC Belenenses. In the 1929/30 Lisbon Championship season, Pépe played 14 games, scoring 36 goals (a stunning average of 2.57 goals per game). This included a single-game record of 10 goals scored in a 12–1 victory over Bom Sucesso (a record that stands to this day).
International career
Pepe made his international debut for
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
at the age of 19, in a friendly against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
played in Lisbon on 16 March 1927. Pepe scored two goals in his national side's 4–0 victory. In total, he played 14 games for the Portuguese national team, scoring 7 goals. Pépe also played for Portugal at the 1928
Olympic Games football tournament in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
.
Portugal defeated
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
(4–2) and
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
(2–1), but subsequently lost to
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
(1–2) in the quarter-finals. Egypt later lost to
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in the semi-finals and to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in the match for the bronze medal. Pepe's last appearance for Portugal was in
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
on 23 February 1930, a 2–0 win over France.
Death
On 23 October 1931, Pepe collapsed at work – he worked as a lathe operator, in a time when playing football in Portugal was often not a sole source of income. He was taken to the Naval Hospital in Lisbon with severe abdominal pain, and died the next day. He was just 23 years old.
There is still no consensus as to the specific circumstances behind Pepe's death, which was due to
food poisoning
Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food,
as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease) ...
. The best-known story tells of a tragic mistake made by his mother while preparing a meal on 22 October, two days before his death. Pépe's mother, who could not read, mistakenly exchanged
caustic soda for salt when she made
chorizo
Chorizo (, from Spanish ; similar to but distinct from Portuguese ) is a type of pork cured meat originating from the Iberian Peninsula.
In Europe, chorizo is a fermented, cured, smoked meat, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, or ...
s. The next day, Pépe took a sandwich containing the chorizo to work with him and consumed the corrosive compound. Of note, other relatives who had eaten the meal had also been hospitalized, but survived, and a cat that had consumed the chorizo died.
Pepe's funeral was an event of mourning on an almost-national scale. Thirty thousand people attended to pay their respects to the young star, whose loss shook the Portuguese sports world. Attendees also came from outside Portugal, including one of the greatest goalies in the history of football, Spaniard
Ricardo Zamora
Ricardo Zamora Martínez (; 14 February 1901 – 8 September 1978) was a Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a goalkeeper for, among others, RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. As an international he played for both the Catala ...
.
Legacy
In 1932, the year after his death, Belenenses erected a memorial to Pépe at the
Salésias Stadium in Lisbon. The stadium itself was later renamed in Pepe's honor. When CF Belenenses moved to
Restelo stadium in Lisbon in 1956, the memorial to Pepe was placed at the stadium entrance. It is a tradition that whenever
FC Porto
Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...
visits CF Belenenses for a match, the team always leaves a wreath in front of the statue before the game.
International goals
:''Portugal score listed first, score column indicates score after each Pepe goal.
References
External links
Pepe Tribute Page (In Portuguese)Pépe Soares biography (In Portuguese)Pepe Soares homage (In Portuguese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pepe
1908 births
1931 deaths
Portuguese footballers
Association football inside forwards
C.F. Os Belenenses players
Portugal international footballers
Olympic footballers of Portugal
Footballers at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Footballers from Lisbon