Paulinho Santos

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Paulinho Santos

| image = OM - FC Porto - Valais Cup 2013 - Paulinho Santos.jpg

| caption = Santos as assistant manager of Porto in 2013

| fullname = João Paulo Maio dos Santos

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|11|21|df=y}}

| birth_place = Vila do Conde, Portugal

| height = 1.70 m

| position = Midfielder

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Caxineiros Unidos

| youthyears2 = 1982–1985 | youthclubs2 = Varzim

| youthyears3 = 1986–1989 | youthclubs3 = Rio Ave

| years1 = 1989–1992 | clubs1 = Rio Ave | caps1 = 88 | goals1 = 1

| years2 = 1992–2003 | clubs2 = Porto | caps2 = 205 | goals2 = 7

| totalcaps = 293 | totalgoals = 8

| nationalyears1 = 1994–1999 | nationalteam1 = Portugal | nationalcaps1 = 30 | nationalgoals1 = 2

| manageryears1 = 2011–2014 | managerclubs1 = Porto (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 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-nos/fc-porto/detalhe/paulinho-santos-duzentas-vezes-na-alma-do-dragao.html|title=Paulinho Santos duzentas vezes na alma do dragão|trans-title=Paulinho Santos two hundred times in the dragon's soul|newspaper=Record|language=pt|date=23 May 2001|access-date=13 March 2018}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://expresso.pt/desporto/o-paulinho-santos-entrava-e-tinha-um-alvo-joao-pinto=f869398|title="O Paulinho Santos entrava e tinha um alvo: João Pinto"|trans-title="Paulinho Santos came in and he had one target: João Pinto"|newspaper=Expresso|first=Pedro|last=Candeias|language=pt|date=9 May 2014|access-date=27 April 2020}}{{cite news|url=http://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-nos/detalhe/joao-pinto-e-paulinho-santos-a-historia-de-um-classico-com-bolinha.html|title=João Pinto e Paulinho Santos: A história de um clássico com bolinha|trans-title=João Pinto and Paulinho Santos: The story of a X-rated classic|newspaper=Record|first=António|last=Adão Farias|language=pt|date=1 April 2017|access-date=26 April 2017}}

Three years later, Santos began a coaching career, spending several years with Porto's various youth sides, mainly as an assistant.{{cite web|url=http://www.maisfutebol.iol.pt/ii-liga/30-12-2016/fc-porto-b-folha-quer-a-recuperacao-com-a-ajuda-de-paulinho-santos|title=FC Porto B: Folha quer a recuperação, com a ajuda de Paulinho Santos|trans-title=FC Porto B: Folha wants comeback, with help from Paulinho Santos|publisher=Mais Futebol|language=pt|date=30 December 2016|access-date=26 April 2017}} In 2011–12, he was promoted to the first team as Vítor Pereira's assistant.{{cite news|url=http://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-nos/fc-porto/detalhe/paulinho-santos-reforcou-mistica-745249.html|title=Paulinho Santos reforçou mística|trans-title=Paulinho Santos emboldened mystique|newspaper=Record|language=pt|date=9 March 2012|access-date=26 April 2017}}

International career

Santos earned 30 caps for the Portugal national team,{{cite web|url=https://maisfutebol.iol.pt/geral/selecao/lista-completa-dos-internacionais-portugueses|title=Lista completa dos internacionais portugueses|trans-title=Complete list of Portuguese internationals|publisher=Mais Futebol|language=pt|date=18 February 2004|access-date=27 February 2023}} scoring two goals (including a solo effort in a 1–1 away draw against Austria on 11 October 1995).{{cite news|url=http://tribunaexpresso.pt/euro2016/2016-06-18-E-daquele-golo-do-Paulinho-Santos-lembra-se-|title=E daquele golo do Paulinho Santos, lembra-se?|trans-title=That Paulinho Santos goal, do you remember it?|newspaper=Expresso|language=pt|date=18 June 2016|access-date=13 March 2018}} 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/the-rising-force-in-europe-counting-on-their-foreign-legion-championship-countdown-no-9-portugal-1334961.html|title=The rising force in Europe counting on their foreign legion; CHAMPIONSHIP COUNTDOWN: No 9 Portugal|newspaper=The Independent|first=Guy|last=Hodgson|date=1 June 1996|access-date=27 April 2020|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/the-rising-force-in-europe-counting-on-their-foreign-legion-championship-countdown-no-9-portugal-1334961.html|archive-date=25 May 2022}}{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/euro2000/teams/portugal/squad/744675.stm|title=Paulinho Santos|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=25 September 2009}}

{{International goals header|ref=no|above=Paulinho Santos: International goals}}{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=18466|title=Paulinho Santos|publisher=European Football|access-date=13 March 2018}}

{{Ig match

| n= 1

| d= 15 August 1995

| st=Sportpark Eschen-Mauren| ci=Eschen | co=Liechtenstein

| o=Liechtenstein

| sc=0–2

| fr=0–7

| comp=Euro 1996 qualifying}}

{{Ig match

| n= 2

| d= 11 October 1995

| st=Ernst-Happel-Stadion| ci=Vienna | co=Austria