
Men's football
Representing Brazil
FIFA World Cup
Winner	1958 Sweden
Winner	1962 Chile
South American Championship
Runner-up	1957 Peru

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Macia, known to many as Pepe, was a famous Brazilian football player and manager. He was born on February 25, 1935. Many people think he is one of the best players ever for Santos FC. He is also considered one of the greatest left wingers of all time. Pepe helped Brazil win the FIFA World Cup twice, in 1958 and 1962. He also helped Santos FC win the World-Club Championship in 1962 and 1963. In these games, Santos beat strong teams like SL Benfica and A.C. Milan.

Pepe played his entire club career with the Brazilian team Santos Futebol Clube from 1954 to 1969. He scored 405 goals in 750 games for the club. This makes him the second-highest scorer in Santos FC history, only behind the legendary Pelé. Pelé scored 1,091 goals.

His nickname was "Canhão da Vila," which means "The Vila Cannon." He got this name because he had a very powerful kick with his left foot. Also, Santos plays in the Urbano Caldeira Stadium, which is nicknamed Vila Belmiro. Pepe once joked that he was "the greatest Santos striker on the planet – because Pelé is from Saturn."

Early Life and First Steps in Football
Playing for Santos FC
Playing for Brazil
Coaching Career
Honours
- Player
- Manager
Pepe's Amazing Records
See also

Early Life and First Steps in Football

When Pepe was seven years old, in 1942, his family moved to the nearby city of São Vicente. He and his brother, Mário, started playing football with local teams like Comercial FC. It was during this time that his strong left foot began to stand out.

At age 16, Pepe was playing for São Vicente AC. The team's goalkeeper, Cobrinha, who also played for Santos' youth teams, invited Pepe to try out for Santos. On May 4, 1951, Pepe played on the Vila Belmiro field for the first time. He was approved by coach Salu.

Between 1952 and 1953, Pepe played under coach Lula. In 1954, at 19, he got his first chance to play for the main team. In the youth squad, he played as a left midfielder or left winger. But as a professional, he chose the left wing position and kept it for many years.

Playing for Santos FC

Pepe's first game as a professional was on May 23, 1954. It was a match against Fluminense in the Rio-São Paulo Tournament. Santos lost 2-1, and Pepe came into the game in the second half.

His first big moment came in the 1955 Paulista Championship. In the final match, Pepe scored the winning goal against Taubaté. This victory made Santos the Paulista Champion for the second time. By then, everyone knew about his powerful left foot, which earned him the nickname "Canhão da Vila." He often scored goals from free kicks and penalties. He even scored three "olímpico" goals, which are goals scored directly from a corner kick.

Pepe often talked about the second game of the 1963 Intercontinental Cup against Milan as a highlight. Santos had lost the first game in Milan 4-2. In the second game, Santos was losing 2-0 at halftime. But they came back strong in the second half and won 4-2. Pepe scored two goals in that game, both from powerful free kicks. In the third and final match, Santos won 1-0 with a penalty goal. Since Pelé was injured, Pepe played a huge part in helping Santos win the trophy.

A year before, in Lisbon, Santos became club world champions for the first time. They beat Benfica, who had won the European championship twice. Pepe thought this was the best game in Santos' history. Santos won 5-2, with Pelé scoring three goals, and Coutinho and Pepe each scoring one.

Pepe won many titles with Santos. Besides the two World Cups with Brazil, he won 25 official club titles. These include 11 São Paulo Championships, six Brazilian Championships, two Copa Libertadores, and two Intercontinental Cups. He won more titles than any other player at a single club. He also holds the record for most wins in the São Paulo Championships, with 13 titles. He won 11 as a player and two as a coach. He also holds the record for total Brazilian Championships, with seven titles. Six were as a Santos player and one as a São Paulo coach.

Pepe was a very disciplined player. Even though defenders often played roughly against him, he was never sent off the field. Because of this, he received the Belfort Duarte trophy for fair play. He was the main left-winger for Santos until 1965. After that, he shared playing time with younger players until he ended his career in 1969.

Pepe is a rare example of a player who spent his entire career with one team. He played for Santos' professional team for 15 years. He even turned down big offers from European clubs to stay loyal to Santos. From his first year as a youth player to his last as a professional, he spent 18 years at the Santos club.

Playing for Brazil

Pepe was expected to be a starting player for the Brazilian national team in the 1958 and 1962 World Cups. However, he got injured just before both tournaments. He was replaced by Zagallo. In 1958, he hurt his ankle in a friendly game in Italy. In 1962, he sprained his knee in a friendly game. Pepe played 41 games for the Brazil national football team. He was part of the teams that won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups. But he did not play in any matches in either tournament due to his injuries.

Coaching Career

Pepe had a long career as a coach, starting in 1969 with Santos' youth teams. He later coached the main Santos FC team and many other Brazilian clubs. These included São Paulo and Guarani, and the Portuguese club Boavista.

He coached Santos from 1972 to 1974, winning a Paulista State Championship in 1973. He returned to Santos between 1979 and 1980. His coaching career also took him to Asia, where he coached in Japan and Qatar. He coached Al Sadd from 1983 to 1984 and won the Emir of Qatar Cup.

In 1986, he coached Inter de Limeira and surprisingly won the Paulista State Championship. After that, he coached São Paulo from 1986 to 1987, winning the Brazilian Series A Championship. He also coached Boavista in Portugal from 1987 to 1989. In 1989, he coached the Peruvian national team. He was in Japan from 1991 to 1993, coaching Verdy Kawasaki (now Tokyo Verdy) and winning the league championship in 1993. He also coached Al Ahli from 2004 to 2005, where the famous Spanish player Pep Guardiola played under him. His last club as a coach was Ponte Preta in 2006.

Honours

Player

Santos

Official Tournaments

Campeonato Paulista: 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968
Torneio Rio–São Paulo: 1959, 1963, 1964, 1966
Taça Brasil: 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965
Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa: 1968
Copa Libertadores: 1962, 1963
Intercontinental Cup: 1962, 1963

Friendly Tournaments

Torneio de Paris (França): 1960, 1961
Taça das Américas: 1963
Torneio Pentagonal do México: 1959
Taça Tereza Herrera (Espanha): 1959
Torneio de Valência (Espanha): 1959
Torneio Dr. Mario Echandi (Costa Rica): 1959
Torneio Giallorosso (Itália): 1960
Quadrangular de Lima (Peru): 1960
Torneio Itália 1961 (Itália): 1961
Torneio Internacional da Costa Rica (Costa Rica): 1961
Pentagonal de Guadalajara (México): 1961
Torneio Internacional da Venezuela (Venezuela): 1965
Hexagonal do Chile (Chile): 1965
Torneio de Nova York (Estados Unidos): 1966

International

Brazil

FIFA World Cup: 1958, 1962
Roca Cup: 1957, 1963
Taça do Atlântico: 1956, 1960
Taça Bernardo O'Higgins: 1961
Taça Oswaldo Cruz: 1961, 1962

Manager

Santos

1973 Campeonato Paulista

Fortaleza E.C.

1985 Campeonato Cearense

Inter de Limeira

Campeonato Paulista with Internacional de Limeira in 1986
1988 Brazilian Serie B Championship

São Paulo Futebol Clube

1986 Brazilian Serie A Championship

Tokyo Verdy

1991–92 Japan Soccer League

Atlético Paranaense

1995 Brazilian Serie B Championship

Pepe's Amazing Records

He won the Paulista Championship 13 times, more than anyone else. He won 11 as a Santos player, one as Santos coach, and one as Inter de Limeira coach.
He won the Brazilian Championship 7 times, more than anyone else. He won 6 as a Santos player and 1 as a São Paulo coach.
He played the second-most games for Santos, with 750 matches.
He is Santos' second-highest scorer with 405 goals.
He is the fourth top scorer for Brazilian clubs, behind Pelé (1091), Roberto Dinamite (620), and Zico (500).
He is the twenty-third top scorer for the Brazilian National Team with 22 goals.
He is the fifteenth greatest scorer in the history of the Rio-São Paulo Tournament.
He won more official titles with Santos (27) than any other player, even more than Pelé.

Pepe (footballer, born 1935) facts for kids

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