Paulinho (footballer, born November 1992)


João Paulo Dias Fernandes, commonly known as Paulinho, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.C. Braga as a striker.

Club career

Trofense

Born in Barcelos, Braga District, Paulinho started playing with local amateurs Santa Maria FC. In 2012 he signed with Segunda Liga club C.D. Trofense, making his debut as a professional on 29 July by playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–5 away loss against C.D. Aves for the group stage of the Taça da Liga; his maiden appearance in the league took place on 12 August, in a 0–2 defeat to the same opponent where he also started.

Gil Vicente

In the 2013 off-season, after scoring 11 goals during the season, Paulinho moved to the Primeira Liga with Gil Vicente FC. He made his debut in the competition on 18 August, coming on as a 49th-minute substitute in a 2–0 home win over Associação Académica de Coimbra. He netted his first goal on 24 November of the same year, but in a 2–3 loss at C.S. Marítimo.
During the 2016–17 campaign, with the team again in the second level, Paulinho scored a career-best 19 times for a runner-up position in the individual charts.

Braga

On 24 May 2017, Paulinho moved to S.C. Braga on a four-year contract. He finished his first year as team top scorer at 13 – 17 across all competitions – helping them qualify to the group phase of the UEFA Europa League after ranking fourth in the league.
Paulinho was the top scorer of the 2018–19 Taça da Liga, netting braces in group stage wins against C.D. Nacional and Vitória F.C.. In the next year's edition he scored twice as Braga won it, including a last-minute winner over Sporting CP in the semi-final; 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 F.C. Paços de Ferreira on 10 July 2020.

International career

Paulinho won his first and 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. 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, but he did not make the final cut.

Honours

Braga