By Melody Gross 
Central waited until he was 26 for his first major league game. The stage was perfect and the response convinced the former coach
Better late than never. Ze Pedro’s La Liga debut, however late – it only happened at the age of 26 – ended up arriving at the right time for the defender and for FC Porto. Without Pepe and Marcano, Sergio Conceição called him up for the derby with Benfica and did not hesitate to send the usual second baseman to David Carmo’s side after Fabio Cardoso was sent off, reviving the duo who made his debut as substitutes. -23 from Braga, in 2019/20, against Feirense (and two more in the Dragons’ secondary XI).
José Carvalho Araujo was Arsenal’s coach, and in a conversation with O JOGO, he made no secret of his pride in seeing “a player who rose to the occasion” provide “an amazing response in the great classic of Portuguese football and in an adverse environment.” “He performed very well, beyond what anyone could have expected, because he was almost unknown to a lot of people,” says the 41-year-old. But he is a resilient, thoughtful person who showed a lot of calm in a difficult context.” Convinced that Ze Pedro “had a somewhat atypical career,” he recalls: “At his age, he could have been at another level, but he deserved what he lived, because The journey he went through, starting in teams at lower levels,” he said, referring to his spells at Uniao Torcatense, Fafe and Estrella da Amadora.
Ze Pedro received invitations to move to the Portuguese and Polish First League in the summer, but ended up renewing his contract with FC Porto until 2026 where he became captain of the second team. The central defender is the oldest member of this team, something that is not strange to you. “It was the same in our U-23 team,” recalls José Carvalho Araujo. “He is an intelligent player who knows his place and waits for the moment. The commitment he has shown in training and matches has made him a reference for his teammates. And we are talking about a time when he was still young,” he highlights. The coach, is convinced that Zé Pedro did not reach the first league sooner because he did not have the “image of a modern centre-back”. “He’s like Cannavaro, that is, he’s not a 1.90-metre rushing player, but he deserves more because of his positioning, his reading of the game, and because he’s strong in duels. He’s never reached the first league, because whatever.” Seen from the outside, they might think something might be missing, and when exploring and choosing, they looked for another profile.”
With Ze Pedro not in the Champions League (he is not registered), the problem remains in the defensive axis of FC Porto, which is preparing to welcome Barcelona with only two centre-backs available: Fabio Cardoso and David Carmo. With Pepe’s continued absence and doubts over the title of the duo that started the Clásico with Benfica, it seems certain. However, with Portimonense, in a week, Cardoso will no longer be there (suspended) and could open the door again for Ze Pedro, who was then a starter.