The tradition is several decades old and is one of the most emblematic in Portuguese football. Whenever FC Porto visits Restelo, they pay homage to the former Belenenses player Pepe, while whenever Belenenses visits Dragão or Olival, they pay homage to the former FC Porto player Pavão and this Sunday was no exception. The ‘Blues’ entered with a flag with the ‘Dragons’ symbol, in a gesture that drew applause from the fans present at the stadium.
The Golden Boy of Restelo
This history of sportsmanship and good relationship between the two clubs began more than 60 years ago. José Manuel Soares Louro, better known as Pepe, became known in football for being a figurehead for Belenenses and the national team during the 1920s.
He was a true genius with the ball at his feet, and became an unavoidable figure in the history of Belenenses. Born and raised in the Belém area, he made his debut for the ‘Azuis’ at just 18 years old and would delight the Lisbon club’s fans for five years, until he tragically passed away, aged just 23.
During this period, Belenenses won the Portuguese Championship (there was still no competition, now known as the League) in 1927 and 1929, also winning the prestigious, at the time, Lisbon Championship, in 1926, 1929 and 1930, with Pepe always in the spotlight.
However, at the age of 23, the crown jewel of the ‘blues’ ended up passing away tragically (even today the causes are not known for sure), in what was one of the most memorable episodes of the time.
Pepe felt unwell at work – he was a mechanical repairman at the Navy Arsenal and was taken to the Navy Hospital, with severe abdominal pain. The best-known version, which generated intrigue, tells of a tragic mistake made by the player’s mother who exchanged salt for caustic soda when preparing dinner.
In 1932, just one year after his death, Belenenses inaugurated a mausoleum with the aim of perpetuating the memory of their former glory, on the Salésias field, which would later be transferred to Restelo, after the inauguration of the mythical stadium, in 1956.
The year from which FC Porto, out of respect for Pepe’s figure, laid a wreath next to the former player’s tombstone when he traveled to Belém, something that would happen in the opposite direction.
After Pepe, Peacock
From 1974 onwards, Belenenses started to make the same gesture in honor of Pavão, a former Porto player, whenever he traveled to Invicta. A scenario that happened, this Sunday, when the last placed team in the second League traveled to Olival.