João Paulo Dias Fernandes

Trofense

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 5–1 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 2–0 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. He made his debut in the competition on 18 August, coming on as a 49th-minute substitute in a 2–0 home win over Académica de Coimbra. He netted his first goal on 24 November of the same year, but in a 3–2 loss at Marítimo. During the 2016–17 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.

Braga

On 24 May 2017, Paulinho moved to Braga on a four-year contract. He finished his first year as team top scorer at 13 – 17 across all competitions – 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 2018–19 Taça da Liga, netting braces in group stage wins against Nacional (5–0 at home) and Vitória de Setúbal (4–0 away). In the next year's edition he scored twice for the winners, including a last-minute winner over Sporting CP in the…

Paulinho won his 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 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 7–0 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 0–0 draw in the country where he played his professional football at.

Club

As of match played 6 September 2026

International

As of match played 31 March 2026

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Paulinho goal.

Braga

Taça de Portugal: 2020–21 Taça da Liga: 2019–20 Sporting CP

Primeira Liga: 2020–21, 2023–24 Taça da Liga: 2021–22 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2021 Toluca

Liga MX: Clausura 2025, Apertura 2025 Campeón de Campeones: 2025 Campeones Cup: 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup: 2026 Leagues Cup: 2026 Individual

Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2019–20 Taça da Liga top scorer: 2022–23 Liga MX Golden Boot: Apertura 2024, Clausura 2025 (shared), Apertura 2025 (shared) Liga MX Best XI: Apertura 2024, Clausura 2025, Apertura 2025 Liga MX Balón de Oro: 2024–25 Liga MX Best Forward: 2024–25 CONCACAF Champions Cup Best Player: 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Golden Boot: 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Best XI: 2026