Simone Pepe

Simone Pepe (Italian pronunciation: [siˈmoːne ˈpeːpe]; born 30 August 1983) is an Italian former footballer who played as a winger, on either side of the pitch.[3]

Simone Pepe
Pepe in 2010
Personal information
Full name Simone Pepe[1]
Date of birth (1983-08-30) 30 August 1983
Place of birth Albano Laziale, Italy
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) 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)
International career
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)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

After starting out at Roma, he went on to compete in Serie A for 12 seasons, spending most of his time at Udinese and Juventus and amassing totals of 251 games and 31 goals, winning four consecutive national championships with the latter club. He also had his later career hindered by several injuries.

Pepe appeared for Italy at the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup, earning 23 caps in total between 2008 and 2011.

Club career

Early years and Palermo

Pepe was born in Albano Laziale, a comune not far from Rome. He started his career at A.S. Roma but never represented the team officially, being loaned to amateurs Calcio Lecco 1912 and Teramo Calcio for the duration of his contract.

In summer 2003, Serie B side U.S. Città di Palermo signed Pepe in a co-ownership deal, for a nominal fee of just €500,[4][5][6] and he scored one goal in 19 appearances to help his team gain promotion to Serie A for the first time ever, as champions.

Pepe was loaned to Piacenza Calcio also in the second level in July 2004, in order to gain experience. On 31 August, Roma sold the rest of his registration rights to Palermo for another nominal fee.[6][7] It was reported that Roma chairman Franco Sensi owed his Palermo counterpart Maurizio Zamparini money, and both Pepe and Cesare Bovo were sold to the latter at an un-economic price to settle the debt,[8] but the former denied this, stating the transfers were totally transparent.[9]

In June 2005, Pepe returned to Palermo as the Sicilians' striker Luca Toni left for ACF Fiorentina. In the following winter transfer window, however, he was on the move again.[10]

Udinese and Cagliari

Pepe joined Udinese Calcio midway through the 2005–06 campaign in a co-ownership deal, for €500,000, along with Salvatore Masiello and Nicola Santoni[11] (as part of the David Di Michele deal for €5.35M[12]).[13] As they were again intent on signing youngsters he featured sparingly, moving to Cagliari Calcio in a temporary deal in July 2006 as the former club had just recalled Gyan Asamoah who shined at that year's FIFA World Cup; the latter also purchased 50% of his registration rights from Palermo for €1.5million.[12][14]

Pepe netted his first goal in the top flight on 18 November 2006 in his 23rd appearance in the competition, grabbing the game's only goal at home against former side Palermo in the last-minute,[15] and he helped the Sardinians finally narrowly avoid relegation.

Return to Udinese

On 22 June 2007, Udinese acquired Cagliari's 50% of the player's rights by winning the blind bidding between the two clubs,[16] and in October, Andrea Dossena, Roman Eremenko, Pepe and Cristián Zapata were awarded a new contract until June 2012;[17][18] after Asamoah suffered an injury, eventually leaving the team, Pepe became an undisputed first-choice.

Juventus

On 9 June 2010, Juventus F.C. announced they had signed Pepe on loan for €2.6 million, with the option to sign him permanently for €7.5 million on 1 July.[19] He scored five times in 30 matches in his first season in Turin.

In 2011–12, Pepe formed an efficient right-wing partnership with newly signed Stephan Lichtsteiner, contributing with four of his six league goals and two assists after the first ten fixtures. On 11 September 2011, in Juventus's opening match of the season at the club's new stadium, he scored the second goal in an eventual 4–1 home win over Parma.[20][21] On 29 November, he netted a vital equaliser against S.S.C. Napoli (3–3, at the San Paolo Stadium) to keep his team's unbeaten run going.[22] the Bianconeri eventually won the national championship, after a nine-year drought.

In spite of some inconsistent displays, Pepe endeared himself to the Juventus faithful for his work rate and pace, earning the nickname of "Speedy Pepe" while also being compared with former club great Angelo Di Livio, who also played as a winger.[23] Starting in December 2012, however, he spent nearly two years on the sidelines, due to several physical problems.[24][25][26][27]

Pepe was operated on 27 February 2013, and after a few matches with the youth squad[28] he returned to the pitch on 18 December, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute of a 3–0 win over U.S. Avellino 1912 in the Coppa Italia.[29] He was injured again in mid-February 2014,[30] and was finally called up again for Juventus's League match with Bologna F.C. 1909 on 19 April,[31] making his third appearance of the season in a 3–0 success against Cagliari that confirmed the Old Lady's third consecutive national championship conquest.[32]

After recovering fully, Pepe returned to the starting line-up on 15 January 2015, in a 6–1 victory over Hellas Verona F.C. in the round-of-16 of the domestic cup.[33] He scored his first goal in three years on 23 May, as he netted a 90th-minute penalty in a 3–1 home win over Napoli.[34]

Chievo

On 11 August 2015, Pepe signed with A.C. ChievoVerona on a free transfer.[35] He appeared in 23 games across all competitions, being released at the end of the season.[36]

Pescara

On 22 August 2016, Pepe joined Delfino Pescara 1936 on a one-year deal.[36] After only a few appearances for the last-placed team, he decided to announce his retirement at the age of 33 and his decision to become their manager.[37]

International career

In spite of a first poor year in the Serie A, Pepe was selected by the Italian under-21 team to the 2006 UEFA European Championship,[38] but he did not play in any games in Portugal in an eventual group stage exit.[39] He made his debut with the senior side on 11 October 2008, under manager Marcello Lippi, in a 0–0 away draw against Bulgaria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[40]

Pepe was part of the squads at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup, both in South Africa. He totalled five appearances in the tournaments, starting in all three matches in the latter, as the Azzurri were sent home after the first stage on both occasions.[41][42][43]

Style of play

Initially a forward at the beginning of his career, Pepe was a versatile player who, appeared in several offensive and midfield positions: he was frequently deployed as a wide midfielder, as an attacking winger, or as a wingback, usually on the right flank, although he was capable of playing on either side of the pitch; he was also fielded as an attacking midfielder, or even as a supporting striker on occasion.[3][44][45][46][47][48] A fast, strong, energetic and hardworking player, his main attributes were his stamina, his defensive contribution and his crossing ability. He also possessed good technique and link-up play, and was effective from set pieces.[44][49] However, he was also injury-prone.[47]

Match-fixing allegations

During the 2011–12 Italian football scandal investigations, Pepe was one of many players to be accused of match-fixing. He was accused of failing to report the alleged fix of a 3–3 draw against F.C. Bari 1908 in May 2010 during his time with Udinese, and faced a potential one-year ban if found guilty; he denied any wrongdoing, however,[50] and he was later acquitted of all charges in August 2012.[51]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[52][53]
Club Season League Coppa Italia Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Roma 2001–02 Serie A 000000—00
Lecco (loan) 2001–02 Serie C1 5000——50
Teramo (loan) 2002–03 Serie C1 311100—2[lower-alpha 1]03311
Palermo 2003–04 Serie B 19152——243
2005–06 Serie A 30003[lower-alpha 2]0—60
Total 221523000303
Piacenza (loan) 2004–05 Serie B 301221——3213
Udinese 2005–06 Serie A 6030——90
Cagliari 2006–07 Serie A 36330——393
Udinese 2007–08 Serie A 33352——385
2008–09 Serie A 3341011[lower-alpha 3]2—456
2009–10 Serie A 32750——377
Total 98141121120012018
Juventus 2010–11 Serie A 3052110[lower-alpha 3]0—376
2011–12 Serie A31620——336
2012–13 Serie A100000—10
2013–14 Serie A201000—30
2014–15 Serie A121301[lower-alpha 4]000161
Total 761281110009013
Chievo 2015–16 Serie A 22310——233
Pescara 2016–17 Serie A 12000——120
Career total 340563262522039564
  1. Appearances in play-offs
  2. Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

Honours

Palermo[54]

Juventus[54]

References
  1. "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of Players: Italy" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2010. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2020.
  2. "Simone Pepe". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  3. "Versatile Pepe attacks Italy's critics". Reuters. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  4. "In rosanero anche Vasari e Pepe" [Vasari and Pepe also in pink-and-black] (in Italian). U.S. Città di Palermo. 18 July 2003. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  5. "Relazione amministratori al 30 settembre 2003" [Management report at 30 September 2003] (PDF) (in Italian). A.S. Roma. 23 October 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  6. "2005 bilancio" [2005 annual report] (PDF) (in Italian). A.S. Roma. 14 October 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  7. "Quadriennale per Adriano, Ceduti i Filippini e Vannucchi, riscattato Pepe" [Four years for Adriano, Filippinis and Vannucchi loaned, Pepe purchased] (in Italian). U.S. Città di Palermo. 31 August 2004. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  8. "Quattro giovani ceduti al Palermo" [Four youth players loaned to Palermo] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 1 September 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  9. "Precisazioni in merito alle operazioni di trasferimento con l'U.S. Città di Palermo" (in Italian). A.S. Roma. 2 September 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  10. "Udinese winger Simone Pepe confirms he is set to join Juventus". Goal.com. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  11. US Città di Palermo report and accounts on 30 June 2006 (in Italian)
  12. U.S. Città di Palermo S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2007, PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A. (in Italian)
  13. "Di Michele heads south to Palermo". UEFA. 16 January 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  14. "Arrivano Pepe e D'Agostino" [Pepe and D'Agostino arrive] (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  15. "Il Cagliari aggiunge Pepe nel finale – Palermo sconfitto all'ultimo minuto" [Cagliari brings Pepe in at the end – Palermo defeated in the last minute] (in Italian). La Repubblica. 18 November 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  16. "Pepe all'Udinese" [Pepe to Udinese] (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  17. "Udinese prolunga 4 contratti a 2012" [Udinese extends 4 contracts to 2012] (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport. 12 October 2007. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  18. "Calcio, Udinese: In quattro rinnovano fino al 2012" [Football, Udinese: Four renew until 2012]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 12 October 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  19. "Agreement with Udinese Calcio for the temporary acquisition of the registration rights of the player Simone Pepe" (in Italian). Juventus F.C. 9 June 2010. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  20. "Juventus pick off Parma, Palermo stun Inter". UEFA. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  21. "Juventus 4–1 Parma". Sky Sports. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  22. "Napoli-Juventus 3–3: Festa del goal al San Paolo, Pepe timbra la grande rimonta bianconera" [Napoli-Juventus 3–3: Goal party at the San Paolo, Pepe seals great white-and-black comeback]. Goal.com (in Italian). 29 November 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  23. "Pepe: "Orgoglioso del paragone con Di Livio"" [Pepe: "Proud of comparison with Di Livio"] (in Italian). Juve Mania. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  24. "Juve, le pagelle dei campioni: Pirlo e Vidal, centrocampo da 10 e lode" [Juve, the champions' marks: Pirlo and Vidal, midfield of 10 and praise] (in Italian). La Presse. 5 May 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  25. "Simone Pepe, sfortuna nera: ecco quanto dovrà stare fuori dai campi" [Simone Pepe, dark fortunes: here's how long he will remain away from pitches] (in Italian). Juve Live. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  26. "Juventus, altro stop per Pepe" [Juventus, another stop for Pepe] (in Italian). Data Sport. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  27. "15/20 giorni di stop per Simone Pepe" [15/20 days of rest for Simone Pepe] (in Italian). Juventus F.C. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  28. "Pepe: "Fuori, ma con il sorriso"" [Pepe: "Out, but smiling"] (in Italian). Juventus F.C. 14 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  29. "Bentornato Simone!" [Welcome back Simone!] (in Italian). Juventus F.C. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  30. "Tuttosport – Domani Pepe sarà comunque in panchina" [Tuttosport – Tomorrow Pepe will nevertheless be on the bench] (in Italian). Tutto Juve. 15 February 2014. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  31. "22 convocati per #JuveBologna" [22 called for #JuveBologna] (in Italian). Juventus F.C. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  32. "Juventus 3–0 Cagliari". BBC Sport. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  33. "Coppa Italia: Pepe, lungo applauso per lui. Lo Juve Stadium lo abbraccia" [Italian Cup: Pepe, long applause for him. Juve Stadium embraces him] (in Italian). Tuttosport. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  34. Fabiana Della Valle (23 May 2015). "Juve-Napoli 3–1: Allegri onora la festa, Benitez dice quasi addio alla Champions" [Juve-Napoli 3–1: Allegri honours the celebration, Benitez almost says goodbye to the Champions]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  35. "Pepe joins Chievo". Goal.com. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  36. "Pescara, tre colpi dopo l'ottimo esordio: preso Pepe, ufficiali Muric e Bahebeck" [Pescara, three deals after excellent debut: Pepe acquired, Muric and Bahebeck official] (in Italian). La Gazzetta Dello Sport. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  37. "Pepe, il primo gregario di Conte. Con un futuro da dirigente del Pescara" [Pepe the first gregarious of Conte. With a future as Pescara manager] (in Italian). Tutto Mercato Web. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  38. "L'Europeo Under 21 come tappa per crescere" [Under 21 Euros as a stage in development] (in Italian). UEFA. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  39. "2006: Huntelaar e il trionfo olandese" [2006:Huntelaar and the Dutch triumph] (in Italian). UEFA. 1 June 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  40. Paolo Bandini (13 October 2008). "Sofia trouble overshadows young Azzurri's point well made". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  41. "Italy 1–1 Paraguay". BBC Sport. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  42. "Italy 1–1 New Zealand". BBC Sport. 20 June 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  43. "Slovakia 3–2 Italy". BBC Sport. 24 June 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  44. "Il campione ai raggi X: Simone Pepe, l'uomo in piu' della Juventus" [X-ray'd champions: Simone Pepe, Juventus' go-to guy] (in Italian). Calcio Mercato. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  45. "Juventus-Siena, Pepe di nuovo ko" [Juventus-Siena, Pepe again ko] (in Italian). Calcio Mercato. 5 February 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  46. "Sampdoria-Juventus 0–0: Quanti errori a Marassi, per Del Piero e compagni c'è solo da mangiarsi le mani!" [Sampdoria-Juventus 0–0: Errors galore at Marassi, Del Piero and company ate up own hands!]. Goal.com (in Italian). 23 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  47. Scaccia, Gabriele (16 January 2015). "Juventus, il ritorno di Pepe: da Conte ad Allegri, da Trieste all'abbraccio dello Stadium" [Juventus, the return of Pepe; from Conte to Allegri, from Trieste to the embrace at the [Juventus] Stadium] (in Italian). Gianluca Di Marzio. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  48. Sciavillo, Steven (14 June 2010). "FIFA World Cup 2010: Italy's Lack of Creativity Will Be Its Downfall". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  49. Labbate, Antonio (9 March 2012). "Missing Marchisio and Pepe". Football Italia. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  50. Brian Homewood; Gavin Jones; Ed Osmond; Steve Scherer (3 August 2012). "Bonucci could face three-and-a-half year ban". Reuters. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  51. "Juventus' Antonio Conte gets 10-month ban in connection with match-fixing". The Guardian. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  52. "S. Pepe". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  53. "Simone Pepe". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  54. "Simone Pepe". Eurosport. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
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