Paulinho (footballer, born November 1992)
Portuguese footballer (born 1992)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
João Paulo Dias Fernandes (born 9 November 1992), commonly known as Paulinho, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Liga MX club Toluca and the Portugal national team as a striker.
|
Paulinho with Sporting CP in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | João Paulo Dias Fernandes[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 November 1992[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Barcelos, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Toluca | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2011 | Santa Maria | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2012 | Santa Maria | 39 | (9) |
| 2012–2013 | Trofense | 35 | (11) |
| 2013–2017 | Gil Vicente | 112 | (28) |
| 2017–2021 | Braga | 100 | (38) |
| 2021–2024 | Sporting CP | 96 | (34) |
| 2024– | Toluca | 73 | (48) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | Portugal U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2020– | Portugal | 5 | (2) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 03:11, 4 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 01:05, 1 April 2026 (UTC) | |||
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 230 matches and 74 goals over nine seasons, representing Gil Vicente, Braga and Sporting CP (for whom he signed in January 2021 for €16 million), winning the 2019–20 Taça da Liga and the 2020–21 Taça de Portugal with the second of those clubs and the 2021 and 2024 national championships and the 2021 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira with the third. In the Segunda Liga, he played with Trofense and Gil. He joined Liga MX side Toluca in June 2024, where he won several team and individual honours, most notably the Balón de Oro for best player.
Paulinho won his first cap for Portugal in 2020, scoring twice in his first appearance.
Club career
Trofense
Born in Barcelos, Braga District, Paulinho started playing with local amateurs Santa Maria.[2] In 2012 he signed with Segunda Liga club Trofense, making his debut as a professional on 29 July by playing the full 90 minutes in a 5–1 away loss against Aves in the group stage of the Taça da Liga.[3] His maiden appearance in the league took place on 12 August, in a 2–0 defeat to the same opponent where he also started.[4]
Gil Vicente
In the 2013 off-season, after scoring 11 goals during the season, Paulinho moved to the Primeira Liga with Gil Vicente.[2] He made his debut in the competition on 18 August, coming on as a 49th-minute substitute in a 2–0 home win over Académica de Coimbra.[5] He netted his first goal on 24 November of the same year, but in a 3–2 loss at Marítimo.[6]
During the 2016–17 campaign, with the team again in the second tier, Paulinho scored a career-best 19 times for a runner-up position in the individual charts.[7]
Braga
On 24 May 2017, Paulinho moved to Braga on a four-year contract.[8] He finished his first year as team top scorer at 13 – 17 across all competitions – helping them to qualify for the group phase of the UEFA Europa League after ranking fourth in the league.[9]
Paulinho was the top scorer of the 2018–19 Taça da Liga, netting braces in group stage wins against Nacional (5–0 at home) and Vitória de Setúbal (4–0 away).[10][11] In the next year's edition he scored twice for the winners, including a last-minute winner over Sporting CP in the semi-finals.[12] On the league front, he set a new personal best in the top flight, including a hat-trick in a 5–1 away rout of Paços de Ferreira on 10 July 2020.[13]
On 26 November 2020, Paulinho scored in a 3–3 home draw with Leicester City in the Europa League group stage; in doing so, he beat Alan's record of 11 European goals for Braga.[14] He scored all of his side's goals in a 3–1 victory against Estoril on 17 December to make the League Cup semi-finals.[15]
Sporting CP
On 1 February 2021, Paulinho joined Sporting on a deal running until June 2025 for a club-record €16 million fee,[16] reuniting with former Braga manager Ruben Amorim; as part of the arrangement, Cristian Borja and Andraž Šporar moved in the opposite direction.[17][18] On 11 May, his 36th-minute goal was the only of the home fixture against Boavista, and the club won the domestic league for the first time in 19 years.[19]
Paulinho scored three times in the group stage of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, helping his team to progress as runners-up.[20] On 29 December 2021, he netted a hat-trick in a 3–2 home win over Portimonense in the domestic league.[21]
Paulinho topped the scoring charts of the 2022–23 League Cup with eight goals.[22] However, in the 2–0 final loss to Porto, he was sent off for two quick yellow cards, being later handed a three-match suspension for insulting the refereeing team.[23][24]
In the 2023–24 season, Paulinho won his second league with Sporting. He totalled 21 goals in all competitions, only trailing in the squad Viktor Gyökeres (who also led all players overall) who had 43.[25][26]
Toluca
On 21 June 2024, Paulinho agreed to a three-year contract at Liga MX side Toluca with the option of a further season, for a €7,75 million fee plus €250,000 in add-ons.[27][28] He scored twice in his second match, helping the hosts to defeat Juárez 3–2.[29] He finished the season as top scorer in both the Apertura and Clausura with a combined total of 27 goals, while his team finished second in the former tournament[30][31][32] before being eliminated in the quarter-finals.[33] In the latter, his 12 goals saw them top the table[34] and later be crowned champions by defeating América 2–0 in the final;[35] for his displays, he received the Balón de Oro as both Player of the Year and Best Forward.[36]
International career
Paulinho won his only cap for the Portugal under-21 team on 14 November 2012, playing the last 18 minutes of the 3–2 friendly defeat of Scotland.[37] In May 2018, he was included by full side manager Fernando Santos in a preliminary 35-man squad for the upcoming edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia,[38] but did not make the final cut.[39]
On 11 November 2020, Paulinho made his senior debut in a home exhibition against Andorra, scoring twice in a 7–0 win.[40] In October 2022, he was one of 55 players pre-selected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.[41]
On 22 March 2026, after more than five years away from the national team, Paulinho was called up ahead of friendlies with Mexico and the United States as a replacement for the injured Rafael Leão and Rodrigo Mora.[42] He took the field in the 64th minute of the former, a 0–0 draw in the country where he played his professional football at.[43]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 30 May 2026[44]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Santa Maria | 2010–11 | Terceira Divisão | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12 | 31 | 8 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 35 | 10 | |||||
| Total | 39 | 9 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | 45 | 11 | |||||
| Trofense | 2012–13 | Segunda Liga | 35 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 11 | ||
| Gil Vicente | 2013–14 | Primeira Liga | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 28 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 1 | ||||
| 2015–16 | LigaPro | 42 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 47 | 9 | |||
| 2016–17 | 36 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 20 | ||||
| Total | 112 | 28 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 2 | — | — | 134 | 33 | ||||
| Braga | 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | 30 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9[c] | 3 | — | 43 | 17 | |
| 2018–19 | 29 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 38 | 11 | |||
| 2019–20 | 29 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 12[c] | 6 | — | 48 | 25 | |||
| 2020–21 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6[c] | 3 | — | 24 | 10 | |||
| Total | 100 | 38 | 14 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 27 | 12 | — | 153 | 63 | |||
| Sporting CP | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 14 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 3 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 29 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8[d] | 3 | 1[e] | 0 | 46 | 14 | ||
| 2022–23 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 9[f] | 2 | — | 38 | 15 | |||
| 2023–24 | 31 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7[c] | 1 | — | 47 | 21 | |||
| Total | 96 | 34 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 145 | 53 | ||
| Toluca | 2024–25 | Liga MX | 39 | 27 | — | — | — | 3[g] | 1 | 42 | 28 | |||
| 2025–26 | 34 | 21 | — | — | 7[h] | 8 | 6[i] | 5 | 47 | 34 | ||||
| Total | 73 | 48 | — | — | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 89 | 62 | ||||
| Career total | 455 | 168 | 44 | 12 | 37 | 21 | 58 | 26 | 10 | 6 | 604 | 233 | ||
- Includes Taça de Portugal
- Includes Taça da Liga
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
- Five appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in Leagues Cup
- Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
- One appearance and one goal in Campeón de Campeones, four appearances and four goals in Leagues Cup, one appearance in Campeones Cup
International
- As of match played 31 March 2026[45]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 2020 | 3 | 2 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Paulinho goal.[45]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 November 2020 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal | 1 |  Andorra | 2–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 4–0 |
Honours
Braga
Sporting CP
- Primeira Liga: 2020–21,[19] 2023–24[48]
- Taça da Liga: 2021–22[49]
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2021[50]
Toluca
- Liga MX: Clausura 2025,[51] Apertura 2025[52]
- Campeón de Campeones: 2025[53]
- Campeones Cup: 2025[54]
- CONCACAF Champions Cup: 2026[55]
Individual
- Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2019–20[56]
- Taça da Liga top scorer: 2022–23[22]
- Liga MX Golden Boot: Apertura 2024,[31] Clausura 2025 (shared),[57][31] Apertura 2025 (shared)[58]
- Liga MX Best XI: Apertura 2024,[59] Clausura 2025,[60] Apertura 2025[61]
- Liga MX Balón de Oro: 2024–25[62]
- Liga MX Best Forward: 2024–25[62]
- CONCACAF Champions Cup Best Player: 2026[63]
- CONCACAF Champions Cup Golden Boot: 2026[63]
- CONCACAF Champions Cup Best XI: 2026[64]
