Paulinho Santos
FullnameJoão Paulo Maio dos Santos
Birth date21 November 1970 (age 55)
Birth placeVila do Conde, Portugal
Height1.70 m
PositionMidfielder
CurrentclubPorto B (assistant)
Youthclubs 1Caxineiros Unidos
Youthyears 21982–1985
Youthclubs 2Varzim
Youthyears 31986–1989
Youthclubs 3Rio Ave
Years 11989–1992
Clubs 1Rio Ave
Caps 188
Goals 11
Years 21992–2003
Clubs 2Porto
Caps 2205
Goals 27
Totalcaps293
Totalgoals8
Nationalyears 11994–1999
Nationalteam 1Portugal
Nationalcaps 130
Nationalgoals 12
Manageryears 12005–2011
Managerclubs 1Porto U19 (assistant)
Manageryears 22011–2014
Managerclubs 2Porto (assistant)
Manageryears 32014–2015
Managerclubs 3Porto B (assistant)
Manageryears 42015–2017
Managerclubs 4Porto U19 (assistant)
Manageryears 52017–
Managerclubs 5Porto B (assistant)

João Paulo Maio dos Santos (born 21 November 1970), commonly known as Paulinho Santos, is a Portuguese former footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder. He is the current assistant coach of Liga Portugal 2 club Porto B.

He spent 11 years of his professional career with Porto, playing in several positions and winning 19 major titles whilst appearing in more than 300 official games for the club.

Santos represented Portugal at Euro 1996.

Club career

Born in Vila do Conde, Santos started playing with hometown's Rio Ave FC, competing two seasons in the second division and one in the third. He moved in 1992 to FC Porto, helping the latter (often in an instrumental role) to seven Primeira Liga titles and five Taça de Portugal, having taken over from the player he idolised while growing up, António André – who had also played in his first club.[1]

In Porto, Santos and four others became the only players in the history of Portuguese football to win five consecutive league titles from 1994 to 1999. Upon winning the 2003 edition of the UEFA Cup, he was already second-fiddle – a total of five games in his last two seasons – and retired at the end of that campaign.

A player of aggressive approach, Santos often scuffled with S.L. Benfica's João Pinto during his career. As a symbolic gesture, however, they exchanged shirts before Santos' last match, against Sporting CP (where Pinto was playing), at Estádio das Antas, in June 2003.[2][3]

Three years later, Santos began a coaching career, spending several years with Porto's various youth sides, mainly as an assistant.[4] In 2011–12, he was promoted to the first team as Vítor Pereira's assistant.[5]

International career

Santos earned 30 caps for the Portugal national team,[6] scoring two goals (including a solo effort in a 1–1 away draw against Austria on 11 October 1995).[7] His first game was on 19 January 1994 in a 2–2 draw with Spain in Vigo in a friendly, and his last came on 10 February 1999 in a 0–0 draw with the Netherlands at the Parc des Princes in Paris, in another exhibition game.

Santos participated at UEFA Euro 1996, where he played as left-back, and missed Euro 2000 due to injury.[8][9]

[10]

|}

Honours

Porto

References

  1. ^ "Paulinho Santos duzentas vezes na alma do dragão" [Paulinho Santos two hundred times in the dragon's soul] (in Portuguese). Record. 23 May 2001. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  2. ^ Candeias, Pedro (9 May 2014). ""O Paulinho Santos entrava e tinha um alvo: João Pinto"" ["Paulinho Santos came in and he had one target: João Pinto"] (in Portuguese). Expresso. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  3. ^ Adão Farias, António (1 April 2017). "João Pinto e Paulinho Santos: A história de um clássico com bolinha" [João Pinto and Paulinho Santos: The story of a X-rated classic] (in Portuguese). Record. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  4. ^ "FC Porto B: Folha quer a recuperação, com a ajuda de Paulinho Santos" [FC Porto B: Folha wants comeback, with help from Paulinho Santos] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 30 December 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Paulinho Santos reforçou mística" [Paulinho Santos emboldened mystique] (in Portuguese). Record. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Lista completa dos internacionais portugueses" [Complete list of Portuguese internationals] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 18 February 2004. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  7. ^ "E daquele golo do Paulinho Santos, lembra-se?" [That Paulinho Santos goal, do you remember it?] (in Portuguese). Expresso. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  8. ^ Hodgson, Guy (1 June 1996). "The rising force in Europe counting on their foreign legion; CHAMPIONSHIP COUNTDOWN: No 9 Portugal". The Independent. Archived 25 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Paulinho Santos". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  10. ^