Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima

Lucas Paquetá joined Flamengo's academy at the age of ten and worked his way up through the youth ranks before helping the club's junior side win the Copa São Paulo de Júniores in 2016. He made his first-team debut that year in the Campeonato Carioca against Bangu, and went on to make 67 appearances for the senior side before his move to Europe.

Milan signed him in January 2019 for a fee reported around €35m, rising to as much as €45m with add-ons. He stayed in Italy for one season before Olympique Lyonnais took him to France in September 2020. His move to West Ham United in August 2022, worth up to £60m by some estimates, made him one of the club's most expensive signings.

He returned to Flamengo in January 2026, in a deal reported at around £35.5m — described by Transfermarkt and ESPN as a record fee for a transfer into South American football, and a return to the club where he first learned the game.

Paquetá made his senior Brazil debut in September 2018, coming on as a substitute against the United States, and scored his first international goal the following March against Panama while wearing the number 10 shirt. He was part of Brazil's Copa América-winning squad in 2019 and started in the side that reached the final in 2021, scoring in the quarter-final against Chile and the semi-final against Peru. At the 2022 World Cup, he scored in the round-of-16 win over South Korea, and he was named in Brazil's squad again for the 2026 tournament.