Over the years, West Ham United fans have always had a soft spot for the mavericks, players who bring flair, imagination and a touch of chaos to the game.
In the 2000s it was Paolo Di Canio, in the 2010s Dimitri Payet, and in the 2020s, you could certainly make a case for our current No10, Lucas Paquetá.
Since arriving from Olympique Lyonnais in the summer of 2022, Paquetá has become one of the Premier League’s most creative South American imports. Against Brentford in October, he joined a select group of Brazilian players to reach 100 appearances in the best league in the world.
Reflecting on the milestone, he said: “When I was younger, players on the list of Brazilian Premier League players were guys who I looked up to. To be part of this group of Brazilian players to have reached 100 Premier League appearances is very humbling.”
100 @PremierLeague appearances for Lucas 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/CR2jLiOSS6
— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 22, 2025
While this season has largely been a difficult one for West Ham so far, Paquetá’s goalscoring return has remained solid, opening his account for the campaign by scoring in four of his first five games for Club and country.
His early-season form served a reminder of his ability to influence games at the highest level, just as he did on that night in Prague, when his perfectly-weighted pass sent Jarrod Bowen through to score the winning goal in stoppage time and clinch our first major trophy in 43 years, the UEFA Europa Conference League.
“I think it was one of the best starts to a season of my career in terms of numbers,” Paquetá said, reflecting on his early-season numbers. “I scored in four consecutive games for Club and country and I was very motivated, very happy.
“I’m still trying to get back to that scoring consistency, to continue helping the team with goals and assists. But I don’t put too much pressure on myself, because I know I can help the team in many other ways. I know that the fans expect me to score a lot of goals and provide assists, but I see the game in a different way too, and I think I add a lot in other areas of the game.
“But, of course, the happiest moment in football is scoring goals and providing assists. And I’m working hard so that I can continue scoring and have a season with good numbers.”
While West Ham’s recent back-to-back wins may have come as a surprise to many, given the Hammers’ home form at the start of the season, Paquetá was certain of a change of fortunes.
The Brazilian midfielder, like many modern professional footballers, puts a huge emphasis on faith in guiding him through the good times, as well as the bad, both on and off the pitch.
He said: “We were facing a difficult moment on the pitch, with the team’s situation, something that challenges me to continue believing that things will get better, to know that I have to work, that I have to do my best, but that God has something good in store for us, not just for me, but for the team as a whole. And I also try to emphasise that, regardless of what I do, of the work I do, my faith today is more important than anything else I experience.
“It (faith) is more important than football, it is more important than my job, it is even more important than my own family. So I put God as the main actor in my life. And I am sure that through him good things will happen for my family, for my work, and that is what I believe in.
“We understood the situation we find ourselves in is not good, that’s the main point. We didn’t need to invent too many things, it’s about doing the basics right.
“We need to keep working hard, dedicate ourselves and believe that we will get out of this situation by staying positive, helping each other on the pitch, in training. Because I’m sure that now the wins have started coming, we’ll gain the confidence required to get out of this situation.”
In fact, nothing has tested him and his family’s faith more than the well-publicised personal challenges he faced in relation to misconduct charges brought by the Football Association, of which he was cleared in July this year.
Paquetá said: “It has been a challenge for me because I had a very big milestone related to my faith, which was overcoming my trial. It was something that sustained me a lot, strengthened me a lot.”
Although faith has been a cornerstone of Paquetá’s resilient mentality, the Club and the fans have also played a huge part in getting him through a hugely testing time in his life.
That outpouring of emotion was there for all to see when he converted from the penalty spot against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in August, 'throwing away the phone' in response to a possible deadline-day departure and showing the fans exactly what the Club means to him.
He said: “That goal [and celebration] against Nottingham Forest was after a possible transfer for me. I was thinking about what would be good for me and for my family. In the end, I didn’t feel in my heart that I was leaving West Ham. And I don’t regret it at all. It was a decision I made, alone, away from the noise, just me and my wife.
“We talked a lot and we decided we felt very good here. There was also a feeling of great gratitude for all the support I had during the trial.
“The Club and the fans were always by my side, so I wanted to pay them back by staying and I am happy with that decision.
“I’ve always felt very loved here. Obviously, after winning the Conference League, that feeling became even stronger. I was able to put my name in the Club’s history books. I consider this title to be the most important of my career, because of the way it happened. And the love of the fans is very important to me. To my wife too.
“During the period we’ve been through these last two years, I felt that they were always by our side. It was essential to have that reassurance amid all the chaos. So I always try to repay them on the pitch by doing my best.
“I won’t always be able to do my best, but they can be sure that I work hard to dedicate myself and repay all their affection.”
