Jair Cunha
Brazilian footballer (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jair Paula da Cunha Filho (born 7 March 2005), known as Jair Cunha[3] or just Jair, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Premier League club Nottingham Forest.
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Jair with Santos in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jair Paula da Cunha Filho[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 7 March 2005 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Orlândia, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Nottingham Forest | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2024 | Santos | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Santos | 24 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Botafogo | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Nottingham Forest | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Brazil U20 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:29, 24 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16:25, 17 February 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
Santos
Born in Orlândia, São Paulo, Jair joined Santos' youth setup in 2016, aged ten.[4] On 19 June 2021, he signed his first professional contract with the club, agreeing to a deal until 2024.[5]
On 22 June 2022, Jair renewed his link with Peixe until June 2025,[6] and started to train with the first team squad in August.[7] On 12 January of the following year, he suffered a knee injury while playing for the under-20s in the 2023 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior.[8]
Jair returned to trainings in August 2023, while entering the final stages of his recovery.[9] He was declared fit to play in October,[10] and made his professional – and Série A – debut on 9 November, coming on as a late substitute for fellow youth graduate Marcos Leonardo in a 1–0 away win over Goiás.[11]
On 23 April 2024, after becoming an immediate backup to starters Gil and Joaquim, Jair renewed his contract with Santos until December 2026.[12]
Botafogo
On 10 February 2025, Botafogo announced the signing of Jair on a four-year contract.[13]
Nottingham Forest
On 11 July 2025, Jair signed a five-year deal with Premier League side Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed transfer fee.[14]
International career
On 17 May 2024, Jair and Santos teammates JP Chermont and Souza were called up to the Brazil national under-20 team for a period of training.[15] On 20 December, he was included in the squad for the 2025 South American U-20 Championship.[16]
Career statistics
- As of match played 24 May 2026[17]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | League cup[c] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Santos | 2023 | Série A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Série B | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | ||||
| Botafogo | 2025 | Série A | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 0 | 5[e] | 1 | 22 | 1 | |
| Nottingham Forest | 2025–26 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[f] | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 61 | 1 | ||
- Includes Campeonato Paulista, Campeonato Carioca
- Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- One appearance in Recopa Sudamericana, four appearances and one goal in FIFA Club World Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
Honours
Santos
Brazil U20