West Ham United announced the Club record signing of Brazil international Lucas Paquetá from French side Olympique Lyonnais in August 2022.
An outstanding talent able to play in a variety of midfield roles, Paquetá won the Copa América with Brazil in 2019 and scored for his country at the FIFA World Cup finals in 2022, and starred for Flamengo in his home city of Rio de Janeiro, Italian club AC Milan and Lyon.
Blessed with superb technical ability, creativity, an incisive range of passing and a willingness to work hard for his team all over the pitch, Paquetá is a player whose talent transcends.
Career
Scored from the penalty spot in the 3-1 Premier League victory over Chelsea at London Stadium on 20 August 2023...Assisted Jarrod Bowen's opener in a 2-1 Premier League win at Luton Town on 1 September 2023...Netted the opening goal with a towering header in the 2-1 UEFA Europa League Group A victory at SC Freiburg on 5 October 2023...Scored a sensational late volley in the 2-1 UEFA Europa League Group A defeat at Olympiacos on 26 October 2023...Scored the winner in the 1-0 2-1 UEFA Europa League Group A home win over Olympiacos on 9 November 2023...Netted his fifth of the season with the opener in a 3-2 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest at London Stadium on 12 November 2023.
Put pen-to-paper on a five-year deal with a one-year option for an undisclosed record fee from Olympique Lyonnais on 29 August 2022...Made his West Ham United debut as a second-half substitute in the 1-1 Premier League draw with Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on 31 August 2022...Registered his first assist for the Hammers for Gianluca Scamacca's winner in the 1-0 UEFA Europa Conference League Group B victory at RSC Anderlecht on 6 October 2022...Named in Brazil's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar...Appeared three times for Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals, scoring in the 4-1 round of 16 win over South Korea and assisting Neymar's goal in the quarter-final penalty shootout defeat by Croatia...Scored his first goal for West Ham United from the penalty spot in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Leeds United on 4 January 2023...Scored the equaliser in the 1-1 Premier League draw at Newcastle United on 4 February 2023...Netted a superb header in the 4-0 Premier League win at AFC Bournemouth on 23 April 2023, then a long-range thunderbolt in the 2-1 home defeat by Liverpool three days later...Started all seven knockout stage ties in the UEFA Europa Conference League...Scored one goal and made two more in the 4-1 UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final second-leg win over KAA Gent at London Stadium on 20 April 2023...Assisted Jarrod Bowen's 90th-minute winner in the UEFA Europa Conference League final victory over ACF Fiorentina in Prague on 7 June 2023...Totaled 41 appearances, five goals and seven assists in all competitions for West Ham United...Started international friendlies for Brazil against Guinea and Senegal in June 2023.
Born Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima in August 1997, he takes his name from his birthplace on Paquetá Island, a car-free idyll situated in Rio’s Guanabara Bay...Paquetá joined the city’s Flamengo club at the age of eight, was promoted to the first-team squad and won the Rio de Janeiro State League title at 18, made his debut in Brazil’s Serie A and scored in the Brazilian Cup final at 19 and won the Bola de Prato awarded to Serie A’s top player at 20...A prodigious talent, Paquetá was coveted by many of Europe’s top clubs and made his move across the Atlantic Ocean in January 2019, when he joined AC Milan and made 44 appearances across 18 months in Italy...Having helped Brazil win the Copa América on home turf in 2019, Paquetá moved to Lyon in September 2020, and quickly established himself as a standout performer in Ligue 1, being named in the 2020/21 Team of the Year...Another impressive campaign in 2021/22 followed and Paquetá joins the Hammers after contributing 35 direct goal involvements – 21 goals and 14 assists – in 80 appearances across two seasons in France...He has also become an automatic pick for Brazil, appearing six times as his country reached the 2021 Copa América final, then starting ten of the Little Canaries’ final eleven FIFA World Cup qualifying ties as they secured passage to Qatar.
Honours
Brazil
Copa América (2019)
Flamengo
Campeonato Carioca (2017)
West Ham United
UEFA Europa Conference League (2023)
Campeonato Carioca Team of the Year (2018)
Bola de Prata (2018)
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year (2018)
UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year (2020/21)
UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month (October 2021)
UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season (2022/23)
