Paulinho Paula

In December 2023 Paulinho Paula scored the goal that kept Vasco da Gama in Série A, striking against Red Bull Bragantino when relegation was still live. Weeks into the following year his right knee gave way — a cruciate ligament rupture that cost him around ten months. He later said he had thought about giving the game up altogether, so difficult was the recovery.

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1997, he came through the academy at Fluminense and was promoted to the professional squad in 2016, though he barely featured for the first team. The move to Europe came a year later, to Sporting CP B, where he spent two seasons in the reserve side. His breakthrough came at Boavista: roughly 50 league appearances and two goals, enough to draw interest from Saudi Arabia.

Al-Shabab signed him on 27 July 2021. The most productive spell of that period was a loan at Al-Faiha in 2022/23 — 31 matches, six goals, one assist. Back at Al-Shabab, he scored the decisive goal in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final against Al-Hilal.

Vasco bought him in July 2023 for about 6.5 million reais. Across two years in Rio he made 52 appearances, scoring twice and setting up three more. After the injury he returned, but by 2025 he had lost his place in the starting eleven, even as Sofascore rated him among Vasco's best performers in individual matches that season.

In January 2026 he joined Internacional as a free agent, signing until the end of 2027 with an option to extend.