Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Jair Paula da Cunha Filho | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 7 March 2005 | ||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Orlândia, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) [1] | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | 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 | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
2025– | Brazil U20 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:10, 5 June 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16:25, 17 February 2025 (UTC) |
Jair Paula da Cunha Filho (born 7 March 2005), known as Jair Cunha [2] or just Jair, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Premier League club Nottingham Forest.
Born in Orlândia, São Paulo, Jair joined Santos' youth setup in 2016, aged ten. [3] On 19 June 2021, he signed his first professional contract with the club, agreeing to a deal until 2024. [4]
On 22 June 2022, Jair renewed his link with Peixe until June 2025, [5] and started to train with the first team squad in August. [6] 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. [7]
Jair returned to trainings in August 2023, while entering the final stages of his recovery. [8] He was declared fit to play in October, [9] 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. [10]
On 23 April 2024, after becoming an immediate backup to starters Gil and Joaquim, Jair renewed his contract with Santos until December 2026. [11]
On 10 February 2025, Botafogo announced the signing of Jair on a four-year contract. [12]
On 11 July 2025, Jair signed a five-year deal with Premier League side Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed transfer fee. [13]
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. [14] On 20 December, he was included in the squad for the 2025 South American U-20 Championship. [15]
Club | Season | League | State League [a] | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Santos | 2023 | Série A | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
2024 | Série B | 20 | 0 | 2 | 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 [b] | 0 | 5 [c] | 1 | 22 | 1 |
Nottingham Forest | 2025-26 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Career total | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 46 | 1 |
Santos
Brazil U20