Lucas Paquetá

Lucas Paquetá arrived at Flamengo in 2007 at the age of 10. At the age of 15, he was very technically skilled but did not have the physicality of other players his age (he was only 5 ft tall). By age 18, however, he had grown 27 cm (10.6 inches). With the Flamengo youth team he won the 2016 Copa São Paulo de Júniores title, the most important youth tournament in Brazil. Alongside other standout players Léo Duarte, Felipe Vizeu and Ronaldo, Lucas was promoted the club's professional team right after the competition.[1]

In March 2016 Paquetá got promoted to Flamengo's professional team and signed a contract extension until 2020.[2] On 5 March 2016, Lucas debuted as a starter in a 3–1 win over Bangu in a 2016 Rio de Janeiro State League match.[3] Paquetá scored his first professional goal on 19 February 2017 in a 4–0 victory against Madureira at the Estádio Raulino de Oliveira in Volta Redonda.

Paquetá scored in both the 2017 Copa do Brasil final in a 1–1 draw against Cruzeiro at the Maracanã Stadium and in the 2017 Copa Sudamericana final against Independiente, also a 1–1 draw in the Maracanã. In both matches, Flamengo were defeated and were runners-up to their opponents in the competitions. In the Copa Sudamericana final, he was named the best Flamengo player in the match. He finished 2017 being considered by fans to be, alongside Juan, the highlight of Flamengo.

In the 2018 Campeonato Carioca, Lucas Paquetá was chosen as the best left-winger of the tournament and was the only Flamengo player selected to the team of the tournament.

On 10 October 2018, news agencies across Brazil and Italy reported that a €35M deal had been agreed between A.C. Milan and Flamengo for the transfer of player, beating stiff competition from French club Paris Saint-Germain.[4]

On 4 January 2019, the transfer was made official, with Milan announcing the player had signed a five-year contract.[5][6][7] He chose to wear the shirt number 39. Because of his mother's Portuguese descent, he was eligible for registration as a European player.[8]

Paquetá made his club debut on 12 January 2019, playing 85 minutes before being replaced by Fabio Borini as Milan beat Sampdoria 2–0 in extra time in the Coppa Italia.[9][10] Four days later, Paquetá played in the 2018 Supercoppa Italiana, held at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,[11] where Juventus beat Milan 1–0. On 21 January 2019, Paquetá made his Serie A debut in a 2–0 win over Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. During the match, Paquetá performed a 'rainbow flick' over opponent Daniel Bessa. Paquetá scored his first goal for Milan in 3–0 win against Cagliari, scoring the second goal. He dedicated his goal for the victims of a fire at his old club Flamengo, all members of the under-15 team.[12]

On 30 September 2020, French club Olympique Lyonnais announced the signing of Paquetá, who signed for €20 million on a five-year contract.[13]

Lucas playing for Brazil U20 in 2017

On 1 April 2016, Paquetá was called up for the first time to represent Brazil U20 in two friendly matches in Europe.[14] He scored his first goal in his debut in a 2–1 win against England U20 on 4 September.

In October 2016, he was called up for the Quadrangular de Seleções tournament, a friendly round-robin against the U20 squads of Ecuador, Uruguay, and Chile.

When he was 18, Paquetá was called to practice with the Brazil U23 team in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Coach Rogério Micale called some younger players born in 1997 and 1998, including Lucas, to participate in group training in hopes of them eventually competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[15]

He received his first official call-up to the under-23 team in March 2020.

In 2018, he was selected to be one of the twelve alternatives for the Brazilian national team by coach Tite for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Of the 35 players on the 23-man roster and provisional roster, Lucas was the youngest.[16]

On 17 August 2018, Paquetá was called for the first time for the Brazilian national team by manager Tite to play in friendly matches against United States and El Salvador in September.[17] On 7 September, he made his debut with the national team, coming off the bench to replace Philippe Coutinho in the 71st minute during a friendly match against the United States.[18] On 23 March 2019, he scored his first goal in a 1–1 friendly draw against Panama, wearing Brazil's iconic No. 10 shirt.[19] In May 2019, he was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América.[20]

As of match played 3 February 2021.

As of match played 18 November 2020.[23]

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

List of international goals scored by Lucas Paquetá

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	23 March 2019	Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal	Panama	1–0	1–1	Friendly
2.	19 November 2019	Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	South Korea	1–0	3–0	Friendly