Simone Pepe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Simone Pepe

Pepe in 2010
Personal information
Date of birth	(1983-08-30) 30 August 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Albano Laziale, Italy
Height	1.78 m
Playing position	Winger
Youth career
	Roma
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2003	Roma	0	(0)
2002	→ Lecco (loan)	5	(0)
2002–2003	→ Teramo (loan)	31	(11)
2003–2006	Palermo	22	(1)
2004–2005	→ Piacenza (loan)	30	(12)
2006	Udinese	6	(0)
2006–2007	Cagliari	36	(3)
2007–2010	Udinese	98	(14)
2010–2015	Juventus	76	(12)
2015–2016	Chievo	22	(3)
2016–2017	Pescara	12	(0)
Total		338	(56)
National team
2001	Italy U17	1	(1)
2001	Italy U19	9	(6)
2002–2003	Italy U20	13	(6)
2004–2006	Italy U21	12	(2)
2008–2011	Italy	23	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Simone Pepe (born 30 August 1983) is an Italian former footballer. He played as a winger, meaning he played on the sides of the football field.

He started his career at Roma. He spent most of his time playing for Udinese and Juventus. In total, he played 251 games and scored 31 goals in Serie A, Italy's top football league. With Juventus, he won four national championships in a row. Later in his career, he faced several injuries.

Pepe also played for the Italian national team. He was part of the team for the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup. He played 23 games for Italy between 2008 and 2011.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out and Playing for Palermo

Simone Pepe was born in Albano Laziale, a town near Rome, Italy. He began his football journey at A.S. Roma. However, he never played an official game for Roma. Instead, he was loaned to smaller teams like Calcio Lecco 1912 and Teramo Calcio.

In 2003, a team called U.S. Città di Palermo signed Pepe. They were in Serie B, the second division. He scored one goal in 19 games. He helped Palermo win the league and get promoted to Serie A for the first time ever.

In 2004, Pepe was loaned to Piacenza Calcio to get more experience. He returned to Palermo in 2005.

Time at Udinese and Cagliari

In 2006, Pepe moved to Udinese Calcio. He didn't play much there at first. So, he was loaned to Cagliari Calcio in July 2006.

On 18 November 2006, Pepe scored his first goal in Serie A. It was the only goal in a game against his old team, Palermo. He helped Cagliari avoid being moved down to a lower league that season.

Returning to Udinese

In June 2007, Udinese fully bought Pepe's rights. He became a key player for Udinese. He played many games and scored important goals for the team.

Playing for Juventus

On 9 June 2010, Juventus FC signed Pepe on loan. He scored five goals in 30 games in his first season with Juventus.

In the 2011–12 season, Pepe played very well on the right side of the field. He helped Juventus win the national championship after nine years. Fans liked Pepe for his hard work and speed. They even called him "Speedy Pepe."

However, from December 2012, he had many injuries. This kept him from playing for almost two years. He had surgery in February 2013. He slowly returned to playing with the youth team.

He made his comeback on 18 December 2013 in a cup game. He got injured again in early 2014. But he returned to help Juventus win their third national championship in a row.

After fully recovering, Pepe played regularly again in January 2015. He scored his first goal in three years in May 2015. It was a penalty kick in a win against Napoli.

Later Career with Chievo and Pescara

On 11 August 2015, Pepe joined A.C. ChievoVerona. He played 23 games for them. He left the team at the end of the season.

On 22 August 2016, Pepe signed with Delfino Pescara 1936. After playing only a few games, he decided to retire from football at age 33. He then decided to become a manager for the team.

International Career

Pepe played for the Italian under-21 team in 2006. He made his debut for the senior Italian national team on 11 October 2008. This was in a game against Bulgaria.

He was part of the Italian teams for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Both tournaments were held in South Africa. He played five games in these tournaments. Italy did not get past the first stage in either competition.

Style of Play

Simone Pepe was a very flexible player. He started as a forward. He could play in many different attacking and midfield positions. He often played as a wide midfielder or an attacking winger. He usually played on the right side of the field, but he could play on the left too. Sometimes, he even played as an attacking midfielder or a supporting striker.

Pepe was known for being fast, strong, and energetic. He worked very hard during games. His main strengths were his stamina and his ability to help defend. He was also good at crossing the ball. He had good technique and could link up well with his teammates. He was also good at set pieces, like free kicks. However, he was also prone to injuries.

Football Investigations

In 2012, Simone Pepe was part of an investigation related to a football game from 2010. He was accused of not reporting something about a game when he played for Udinese. However, he said he did nothing wrong. In August 2012, he was found innocent and cleared of all accusations.

Career Statistics

Honours and Trophies

Palermo

• Serie B: 2003–04 (Champions)

Juventus

• Serie A: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15 (Champions)
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2012, 2013 (Winners)
• Coppa Italia: 2014–15 (Winners); Runner-up 2011–12
• UEFA Champions League: Runner-up 2014–15

See also

In Spanish: Simone Pepe para niños