| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paulo Lucas Santos de Paula | ||
| Date of birth | 8 January 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Vasco da Gama | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2017 | Fluminense | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Sporting CP B | 26 | (4) |
| 2019–2021 | Boavista | 55 | (2) |
| 2021–2023 | Al-Shabab | 23 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | → Al-Fayha (loan) | 28 | (5) |
| 2023– | Vasco da Gama | 42 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 December 2025 | |||
Paulo Lucas Santos de Paula (born 8 January 1997), better known as Paulinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Vasco da Gama. [1]
Paulinho made his debut with Sporting B in a 4–0 LigaPro win over Santa Clara on 30 September 2017. [2] On 19 July 2019, Paulinho signed a professional contract with Boavista. [3]
On 28 July 2021, Paulinho joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab on a four-year deal, [4] for a reported fee of €1 million. [5] On 30 July 2022, Paulinho joined Al-Fayha on a season-long loan. [6]
On 26 July 2023, Brazilian side Vasco da Gama announced the signing of Paulinho on a contract until December 2025, [7] for a reported fee of €1.2 million. [8]
In April 2024, Paulinho was caught by Operation Lei Seca drones trying to deceive agents and escape a blitz mounted in Barra da Tijuca, the capital of Rio de Janeiro state. Paulinho was fined twice on the same day for trying to use the services of a professional driver hired locally to cross the checkpoint. In the images recorded by the agents, Paulinho appears being approached. Without a driver's license, he is informed that to leave the location with the vehicle, another qualified person would have to drive the car. [9]
| Club | Season | League | State league | National cup [a] | League cup [b] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting CP B | 2017-18 | LigaPro | 26 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | 4 | |||||
| Boavista | 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 31 | 2 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 55 | 2 | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 59 | 2 | |||||
| Al Shabab | 2021–22 | Saudi Pro League | 23 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 3 [c] | 1 | — | 28 | 2 | |||
| Al-Fayha (loan) | 2022–23 | Saudi Pro League | 28 | 5 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 [d] | 1 | 31 | 6 | |||
| Vasco da Gama | 2023 | Série A | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 1 | |||
| 2024 | Série A | 2 | 0 | 2 [e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2025 | Série A | 0 | 0 | 1 [e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 155 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 170 | 15 | ||