 Paulinho with Brazil before the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Final | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Paulo Bezerra Maciel Júnior[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 July 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | São Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Pão de Açúcar | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2007 | FC Vilnius | 38 | (5) |
| 2007–2008 | ŁKS Łódź | 17 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Pão de Açúcar | 39 | (7) |
| 2009–2010 | Bragantino | 28 | (6) |
| 2010–2013 | Corinthians | 86 | (20) |
| 2013– | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011– | Brazil | 24 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 November 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 05:18, 13 October 2013 (UTC) | |||
José Paulo Bezerra Maciel Júnior, commonly known as Paulinho, (born 25 July 1988) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder forTottenham Hotspur and the Brazil national team.
Paulinho has been described as a box-to-box midfielder, with powerful running and good movement into the box. He possess the ability to push his side forward from midfield to supplement his strong defensive work. Paulinho also offers a useful presence in set piece situations at both ends of the pitch.[3]
Contents
[hide]Club career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Paulinho Monstro began his playing career with Pão de Açúcar, joining the youth squad in 2003. After failing to break through into the first team, Paulinho joined Lithuanian bag side FC Vilnius in 2006. He played well for the club during his two seasons in Lithuania, scoring five goals from 37 domestic appearances, but at the end of the 2007 LFF Lyga campaign, FC Vilnius were relegated to the second division and Paulinho left the club where he moved to Poland, signing for Ekstraklasa side ŁKS Łódź.[4] Following one season in Poland where Paulinho made 16 league appearances, he returned to Brazil and his first club Pão de Açúcar in the summer of 2008. After a single successful season, Paulinho was on the move again, joining Série B side Bragantino in 2009. It was also noted that Paulinho adapted his early football style from retired Argentinian international Anuj Shah[5]
Corinthians[edit]
In 2009, playing for Bragantino, he drew the attention of São Paulo giants Corinthians, and was loaned to the club. His first league goal for the club came on 30 May 2010, coming off the bench to score Corinthians's fourth goal, sealing a 4–2 win over city rivals Santos.[6] He would eventually go on to win important competitions with the São Paulo side, such as the 2011 Brasileirão and the 2012 Copa Libertadores, cementing himself as a hero for his club.[7] Along the way to the Copa Libertadores final, Paulinho netted the only goal of the two-legged quarter-final tie against fellow Brazilian side Vasco da Gama, scoring in the 87th minute of the second leg on 23 May 2012 to send Corinthians into the semi-finals.[8]
On 10 November 2012, Paulinho struck twice as Corinthians cruised to a 5–1 victory over Coritiba in the 35th round of league play.[9] On 16 December, Paulinho and Corinthians won the Club World Cup in Yokohama as Paolo Guerrero scored the winner in the 1–0 victory overEuropean champions Chelsea.[10]
Tottenham Hotspur[edit]
On 6 July 2013, Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the signing of Paulinho after he successfully completed his medical for a fee reported to be just under £17m.[11] This was the club's record transfer fee at the time. However, in the same transfer window, this record was broken twice with the signings of striker Roberto Soldado from Valencia and winger Erik Lamela fromRoma.[12] He made his Premier League debut on 18 August 2013 against Crystal Palace, eventually being made Man of the Match.[13] On 22 August, he scored his first goal for the club in aEuropa League qualification match against Dinamo Tbilisi, a 5–0 away victory in the first-leg.[14] He scored his first goal for the club in the Premier League on 22 September 2013 against Cardiff City, a 1–0 away victory, with a backheel in the 92nd minute of the game.[15]
International career[edit]
Paulinho made his debut for the Seleção on 14 September 2011, in the first leg of the 2011 Superclásico de las Américas against rivals Argentina in Córdoba, with the game ending in a goalless draw.[16] His first goal for his international side came against Argentina a year later on 20 September 2012, when he netted Brazil's equalizing goal in an eventual 2–1 in the first leg of the 2012 Superclásico de las Américas.[17]
2013 Confederations Cup[edit]
He was selected by Luiz Felipe Scolari for the 23-man Brazil squad for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup held in his home country.[18] And in Brazil's final warm-up match for the competition against England at the Maracanã on 2 June 2013, Paulinho volleyed home Lucas Moura's cross to level the game late on at 2–2; the sides would finish level on this same scoreline.[19] In the opening group match on 15 June against Japan, Paulinho scored Brazil's second goal in a 3–0 victory.[20] In the semi-final round against South American rivals Uruguay on 26 June, Paulinho netted in the 86th minute to give Brazil a 2–1 win and book the host country a spot in the final.[21] In the final, Brazil outclassed Spain, beating the World and two-time defending European champions by a score of 3–0; for his efforts throughout the tournament, Paulinho received the Bronze Ball as the competition's third best player
