Lucas Paquetá Brazilian Footballer From Rio de Janeiro

Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima, known as Lucas Paquetá, was born on 27 August 1997 in Rio de Janeiro. He is a Brazilian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. After beginning at Flamengo, he played in Italy, France and England before returning to Flamengo in 2026, and he has been a member of the Brazil national team since 2018.

Early life

His nickname comes from Paquetá Island and the neighbourhood of the same name in Rio, where he grew up. Paquetá joined the Flamengo academy in 2007, aged ten. At 15 he was technically skilled but small for his age, standing around 150 cm, and by 18 he had grown 27 centimetres. With the youth side he won the 2016 Copa São Paulo de Júniores, Brazil's main youth tournament, and was promoted to the professional squad soon after, together with several teammates from that team.

Club career

In March 2016 he signed a contract extension to 2020, and he made his first start on 5 March in a 3-1 win over Bangu in the Rio de Janeiro state league. His first professional goal was scored on 19 February 2017 against Madureira. That year he scored in the Copa do Brasil final against Cruzeiro and the Copa Sudamericana final against Independiente, both 1-1 draws at the Maracanã; Flamengo lost both competitions. In 2018 he was picked as best left-winger of the Campeonato Carioca and won the Bola de Prata.

In October 2018 it was reported that AC Milan had agreed a fee of 35 million euros for him, ahead of interest from Paris Saint-Germain. The transfer was made official on 4 January 2019 on a five-year contract. His mother's Portuguese descent allowed him to be registered as a European player. He debuted in the Coppa Italia on 12 January 2019. After scoring his first goal for Milan, against Cagliari, he dedicated it to the victims of a fire at Flamengo's youth facilities.

In September 2020 he moved to Olympique Lyonnais for 20 million euros on a five-year contract. He was named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for 2020-21 and, in 2021-22, won the first Ligue 1 Best Foreign Player of the Season award, chosen by a public vote of more than 20,000 people.

On 29 August 2022 West Ham United announced his signing on a five-year contract, in a deal that the BBC estimated at more than 50 million pounds and a club record at that time. He debuted in the Premier League on 31 August in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and scored his first goal for the club in January 2023, at Leeds United. In June 2023 he assisted Jarrod Bowen's late winner in the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague, and he was named in the competition's team of the season.

On 28 January 2026 Flamengo and West Ham agreed a transfer for a reported 35.5 million pounds, the highest fee paid for an incoming signing in South American football. Paquetá has said he turned down interest from Tottenham and Chelsea to go back to Flamengo.

International career

Paquetá was first called up to the Brazil under-20 team in April 2016 and scored on his debut in September, in a win over England. In 2018 he was on the provisional list for the World Cup in Russia, the youngest of the players considered.

He earned his first senior call-up in August 2018 and debuted on 7 September in a friendly against the United States, replacing Philippe Coutinho. His first goal came on 23 March 2019 in a 1-1 draw with Panama. Brazil won the 2019 Copa América with him in the squad. In the 2021 edition he scored the only goal in both the quarter-final against Chile and the semi-final against Peru, and Brazil finished as runner-up. He was in the squads for the 2022 World Cup, where he scored in the round of 16 against South Korea, for the 2024 Copa América and for the 2026 World Cup.

In August 2023 the Football Association began an investigation into possible breaches of betting rules, and he was left out of three Brazil squads. In May 2024 he was charged with misconduct under the association's rules, which he denied. He returned to the national team in March 2024, and in July 2025 a regulatory commission found the four main charges not proven.

Personal life

Paquetá is married to Maria Eduarda Fournier, and they have two sons. He is a Christian and a fan of funk carioca, and he sometimes imitates its dance steps when celebrating goals.