Full name Paulo Antonio Alves 1993–1994 Primeiro de Maio Position Midfielder Years Team Height 1.84 m | Playing position Role Footballer Place of birth Luanda, Angola Name Paulo Alves | |
Date of birth (1969-10-22) 22 October 1969 (age 46) Profiles | ||
Paulo António Alves (born 22 October 1969), commonly known as Paulão, is an Angolan retired footballer who played as a midfielder.
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Club career
Born in Luanda, Paulão arrived in Portugal in 1994, where he would spend the following eight years of his career, joining Vitória de Setúbal from Estrela Clube Primeiro de Maio. After one season he signed for Primeira Liga club S.L. Benfica, appearing in 18 games in his first year and scoring three goals as the team finished second 11 points behind FC Porto.
Paulão was only a fringe player in his second season with Benfica, playing in only seven official matches. He then left for fellow top level side Académica de Coimbra, where he was also played sparingly.
Subsequently, Paulão played four years in the second division with S.C. Espinho, after which he returned to his homeland to play with Atlético Petróleos Luanda and Atlético Sport Aviação, retiring in 2004 at the age of nearly 35.
International career
Paulão played for Angola for ten years, his debut coming in 1991. He was a member of the squad that appeared at the 1996 African Cup of Nations in South Africa, netting in a 3–3 draw against Cameroon in an eventual group stage exit.
During his tenure with the national team Paulão appeared in eight FIFA World Cup qualification games, winning five of those. Additionally, he also played at the Europe XI v Africa XI friendly game in 1997.