José Macia, better known as Pepe (born 25 February 1935) is a Brazilian former football player and manager. He is considered one of the greatest players in the history of Santos FC and one of the greatest left wingers of all time, being two-time World Champion in 1958 and 1962 and two-time World-Club Champion in 1962 and 1963 helping Santos FC defeat the iconic SL Benfica of Eusébio and the Milan of Cesare Maldini, Trapattoni, Rivera, Amarildo and Altafini in a best-of-three final.
Pepe spent his entire club playing career with Brazilian side Santos Futebol Clube (1954–1969), scoring 405 goals in 750 league appearances for the club making him the second best top scorer in the history of Santos FC only behind Pelé, who scored 1,091 goals.
His nickname was "Canhão da Vila" (The Vila Cannon), because of his potent kick with his left leg and the fact that Santos plays in the Urbano Caldera Stadium, nicknamed Vila Belmiro. He joked that he was "the greatest Santos striker on the planet – because Pelé is from Saturn".
Early life
At the age of seven, in 1942, Pepe moved with his family to the neighboring city of São Vicente. With his brother, Mário, he started playing football with the teams in the neighborhood where he lived, Comercial FC and Mota Lima. And it was during this period that his left foot started to stand out.
At the age of 16 Pepe was playing for São Vicente AC when Cobrinha, the team's goalkeeper, who also defended Santos' kids, invited him to perform a test at Alvinegro. On 4 May 1951 Pepe stepped on the lawn of Vila Belmiro for the first time, and was approved by coach Salu.
Between the years of 1952 and 1953 Pepe was already under the command of coach Lula, and in 1954, at the age of 19, he had his first chance on the main team. In the junior squad, he varied his position between the left midfielder and the left wing, but in the pros he decided for the left wing and took over the position for many years until the end of his career.
Club career
He debuted on 23 May, in a match against Fluminense, in Pacaembu, for the Rio-São Paulo Tournament. The Santos team lost 2-1, and Pepe entered the second half in the place of Boca, who had already taken the place of Del Vecchio.
His first great moment as a professional athlete was in the 1955 Paulista Championship. In the last match of the event, Pepe scored the triumph goal against Taubaté, in Vila Belmiro, and with the victory Santos became Paulista Champion for the second time, exactly 20 years after the birth of the young left-winger. By that time, the power of his left foot was already known, which is why he earned the nickname Canhão da Vila. Goals from fouls and penalties became frequent. And on three occasions his left boot also provided olympico goals. (scored directly from a corner kick)
Among the outstanding matches in his career, Pepe likes to highlight the second of the 1963 Intercontinental Cup matches against Milan, at the Maracanã. In the first game, in Milan, Santos lost 4 to 2. In the second, they were losing 2 to 0 at the end of the first half, but the Alvinegro club returned determined in the second half and completely turned the match around to 4 to 2, the same scoreline of the first match. Canhão da Vila scored two goals, both with his powerful left leg, taking a free kick. In the third and decisive match of the Intercontinental Cup (predecessor to the FIFA Club World Cup), which was again played at Maracanã, Peixe won by 1 to 0, with a penalty goal by Dalmo. As Pelé was out of the game due to injury, Pepe would play a huge role in getting the trophy for Santos.
A year earlier, in Lisbon, Santos had become club world champions for the first time after defeating Benfica, who were 2-time defending European champion. Pepe considers this match to be the best in Santos history. Santos beat Eusébio's team 5-2, at the iconic Estádio da Luz. Pelé scored three times, with Coutinho and Pepe scoring one goal each.
On top of the 2 World Cups, Pepe won 25 official club titles, including 11 São Paulo Championships, six Brazilian Championships, 2 Copa Libertadores de América, 2 Intercontinental Cups, and 4 Rio-São Paulo Tournaments, becoming the player with most titles won at a single club. He also holds the record for most wins in the São Paulo Championships, with 13 titles won (11 as Santos player, one as Santos coach and one as coach of Internacional de Limeira), Canhão da Vila is also the record holder for total Brazilian Championships, with 7 titles - six as a Santos player and one as a São Paulo coach.