João Paulo Dias Fernandes (born 9 November 1992), commonly known as Paulinho, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Liga MX club Toluca and the Portugal national team as a striker.
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 230 matches and 74 goals over nine seasons, representing Gil Vicente, Braga and Sporting CP (for whom he signed in January 2021 for â¬16 million), winning the 2019âÂÂ20 Taça da Liga and the 2020âÂÂ21 Taça de Portugal with the second of those clubs and the 2021 and 2024 national championships and the 2021 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira with the third. In the Segunda Liga, he played with Trofense and Gil. He joined Liga MX side Toluca in June 2024, where he won several team and individual honours.
Paulinho won his first cap for Portugal in 2020, scoring twice in his first appearance.
Born in Barcelos, Braga District, Paulinho started playing with local amateurs Santa Maria. In 2012 he signed with Segunda Liga club Trofense, making his debut as a professional on 29 July by playing the full 90 minutes in a 5âÂÂ1 away loss against Aves in the group stage of the Taça da Liga. His maiden appearance in the league took place on 12 August, in a 2âÂÂ0 defeat to the same opponent where he also started.
In the 2013 off-season, after scoring 11 goals during the season, Paulinho moved to the Primeira Liga with Gil Vicente. He made his debut in the competition on 18 August, coming on as a 49th-minute substitute in a 2âÂÂ0 home win over Académica de Coimbra. He netted his first goal on 24 November of the same year, but in a 3âÂÂ2 loss at MarÃÂtimo.
During the 2016âÂÂ17 campaign, with the team again in the second tier, Paulinho scored a career-best 19 times for a runner-up position in the individual charts.
On 24 May 2017, Paulinho moved to Braga on a four-year contract. He finished his first year as team top scorer at 13 â 17 across all competitions â helping them to qualify for the group phase of the UEFA Europa League after ranking fourth in the league.
Paulinho was the top scorer of the 2018âÂÂ19 Taça da Liga, netting braces in group stage wins against Nacional (5âÂÂ0 at home) and Vitória de Setúbal (4âÂÂ0 away). In the next year's edition he scored twice for the winners, including a last-minute winner over Sporting CP in the semi-finals. On the league front, he set a new personal best in the top flight, including a hat-trick in a 5âÂÂ1 away rout of Paços de Ferreira on 10 July 2020.
On 26 November 2020, Paulinho scored in a 3âÂÂ3 home draw with Leicester City in the Europa League group stage; in doing so, he beat Alan's record of 11 European goals for Braga. He scored all of his side's goals in a 3âÂÂ1 victory against Estoril on 17 December to make the League Cup semi-finals.
On 1 February 2021, Paulinho joined Sporting on a deal running until June 2025 for a club-record â¬16 million fee, reuniting with former Braga manager Ruben Amorim; as part of the arrangement, Cristian Borja and Andraà ¾ à  porar moved in the opposite direction. On 11 May, his 36th-minute goal was the only of the home fixture against Boavista, and the club won the domestic league for the first time in 19 years.
Paulinho scored three times in the group stage of the 2021âÂÂ22 UEFA Champions League, helping his team to progress as runners-up. On 29 December 2021, he netted a hat-trick in a 3âÂÂ2 home win over Portimonense in the domestic league.
Paulinho topped the scoring charts of the 2022âÂÂ23 League Cup with eight goals. However, in the 2âÂÂ0 final loss to Porto, he was sent off for two quick yellow cards, being later handed a three-match suspension for insulting the refereeing team.
In the 2023âÂÂ24 season, Paulinho won his second league with Sporting. He totalled 21 goals in all competitions, only trailing in the squad Viktor Gyökeres (who also led all players overall) who had 43.
On 21 June 2024, Paulinho agreed to a three-year contract at Liga MX side Toluca with the option of a further season, for a â¬7,75 million fee plus â¬250,000 in add-ons. He scored twice in his second match, helping the hosts to defeat Juárez 3âÂÂ2. He finished the season as top scorer in both the Apertura and Clausura with a combined total of 27 goals, while his team finished second in the former tournament before being eliminated in the quarter-finals. In the latter, his 12 goals saw them top the table and later be crowned champions by defeating América 2âÂÂ0 in the final; for his displays, he received the Balón de Oro as both Player of the Year and Best Forward.
Paulinho won his only cap for the Portugal under-21 team on 14 November 2012, playing the last 18 minutes of the 3âÂÂ2 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 did not make the final cut.
On 11 November 2020, Paulinho made his senior debut in a home exhibition against Andorra, scoring twice in a 7âÂÂ0 win. In October 2022, he was one of 55 players pre-selected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
On 22 March 2026, after more than five years away from the national team, Paulinho was called up ahead of friendlies with Mexico and the United States as a replacement for the injured Rafael Leão and Rodrigo Mora. He took the field in the 64th minute of the former, a 0âÂÂ0 draw in the country where he played his professional football at.
Braga
Sporting CP
Toluca
Individual