Pedro_Miguel_Carreiro_Resendes

Pauleta

Pauleta

Portuguese footballer (born 1973)


Pedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes ComM OIH (born 28 April 1973), known as Pauleta (Portuguese pronunciation: [pawˈletɐ]), is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a striker.

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During 18 years as a senior he never played in the Primeira Liga, having spent 12 of those campaigns in Spain and France. He had his most successful spell at Paris Saint-Germain, where he scored 109 goals across all competitions.[2] Three times the top goalscorer in Ligue 1, he was also voted twice as the division's player of the season.

Pauleta also scored 47 goals in 88 matches for Portugal, a national record at the time of his retirement. He played for his country in two World Cups and two European Championships.

Club career

Early years and Spain

Born in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island in the Azores, Pauleta started his career with local clubs in his native region, before turning professional in the lower leagues. He was part of FC Porto's youth team for a brief stint yet left soon due to homesickness, signing his first professional contract with CU Micaelense in 1994 and spending one year there. He then moved to second division's G.D. Estoril Praia in 1995, helping them to the 12th position in his first and only season.[3]

The goals continued to flow following a switch to Spanish second level side UD Salamanca in 1996, with Pauleta scoring 19 goals as it gained promotion to La Liga in the following year, adding a further 15 in his first season in the top flight.[4] That rate earned him a move to Deportivo de La Coruña, in summer 1998.[5]

Pauleta scored his first goal in European competition in the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup, netting in a 3–1 home win against Montpellier HSC[6] and repeating the feat in the second leg (2–0).[7] On 22 November 1999 he netted a hat-trick for Depor in a home fixture against Sevilla FC,[8] going on to enjoy a two-year spell with the Galicians which included 33 goals in 92 official matches, including eight from 12 starts as the club won its first league championship title in 2000.[9]

Bordeaux

On 1 September 2000, after being tracked by the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Sunderland, Pauleta joined FC Girondins de Bordeaux in France, reportedly for financial and family reasons.[10] He scored three as his new club crushed FC Nantes 5–0 in an away match,[11][12] and some days later, on 26 September, did the same in a UEFA Cup first round match against Lierse SK, with his team qualifying for the next round;[13] he enjoyed an impressive run in his first season, ending it as team top scorer with 26 goals in all competitions,[14] and the Ligue 1's second leading scorer with 20.

In the 2001–02 campaign, Pauleta was the league's top scorer with 22 goals. He also led the team charts in all competitions with 35 successful strikes – a record.[15] Subsequently, he was voted the best player in the French League and was also awarded the 'Oscar of football' by fellow players and coaches,[16] and was named one of the 50 players shortlisted for the 2002 European Footballer of the Year award (Ballon d'Or), with only one other player from the French League in the list;[17] additionally, he won the French League Cup, being instrumental to the success by netting twice in the final.[18][19] After these performances, Manchester City's manager Kevin Keegan expressed an interest in the striker, but Bordeaux's chairman Jean-Louis Triaud said that, initially, they were not interested in the transfer, showing that he could be for sale only in the right circumstances.[20]

In 2002–03, Pauleta proved himself another time, scoring 23 league goals and 30 overall. For the second time he won the title for the best player in the league, and was also named in its team of the year. In total, he registered 65 league goals in 98 games and 91 in 130 matches in all competitions for Bordeaux,[21] ranking third all-time upon his departure.[22]

Paris Saint-Germain

Pauleta in action for PSG at the Emirates Cup in July 2007, finding space around Denílson of Arsenal

Pauleta joined Paris Saint-Germain F.C. ahead of the 2003–04 season, signing a three-year contract in a reported 12 million transfer deal.[23] He helped the capital side to its first silverware in six years by scoring the only goal of the 2004 French Cup final against LB Châteauroux, and continued with his goal scoring exploits in the league, netting 18 times in 37 contests as they finished the league in second place.

On 2 April 2006, Pauleta scored his first hat-trick for Paris Saint-Germain against former club Bordeaux, as the hosts won 3–1.[24] Despite reported interest from defending champions Olympique Lyonnais, he stayed put to help clinch the 2006 French Cup; he netted his 99th and 100th overall goals for the side in heroic fashion, off a fantastic volley and a textbook header respectively.[25]

Pauleta scored one of PSG's goals as they won the 2008 Coupe de la Ligue Final 2–1 against RC Lens.[26] After the 2007–08 campaign, as PSG faced relegation until the very last matchday (eventually reaching safety at 16th), Pauleta retired from football after his last match on 17 May 2008, with the possible exception being if any of the Big three (S.L. Benfica, Sporting CP and Porto) in Portugal came calling, which they did not.[27] He retired at 35 without having played one game in Portugal's Primeira Liga, subsequently staying at PSG but in an ambassadorial role;[28] he remained the club's top scorer of all time with 109 goals in 211 matches, until the record was broken by Zlatan Ibrahimović in October 2015.[29]

In late May 2009, Pauleta played his farewell match at the Parc des Princes, playing one half each with a team of friends and PSG – former and current – players. His son André, 13, replaced him at the end of the game and scored the final two goals.[30]

São Roque

Pauleta returned to football at the age of 37, joining amateurs Grupo Desportivo São Roque in the Azores' regional leagues and retiring shortly after arriving.[31]

International career

Pauleta with Portugal in 2011

Pauleta was the first Portugal national team player to never have played in the Portuguese top level when he made his international debut against Armenia, in August 1997. He would have to wait 18 months for his first start, against the Netherlands. His first goals came a month later, when he scored two in a 7–0 rout of Azerbaijan in a UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier on 26 March 1999.[32]

A substitute at the Euro 2000 tournament, Pauleta led the Portuguese attack at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring three times against Poland[33] and ending with that tally in as many games, as the nation was ousted in the group stage. On 19 November 2003, he scored four goals in an 8–0 friendly win over Kuwait in Leiria.[34]

Although he played all but one game on the road to the final of Euro 2004, Pauleta did not score in that tournament finals. After the competition, with the international retirements of Fernando Couto, Luís Figo and Rui Costa, he was made captain,[35] a role he held until Figo's return; however, he sporadically played as captain in the latter's absence, including a 2–0 win over Egypt at the Estádio de São Miguel in his hometown on 17 August 2005.[36] On 12 October, against Latvia, he netted twice to become the national team's all-time goal scoring leader at the time, surpassing Eusébio's previous record of 41.[37][38]

During the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, Pauleta was the European zone's top scorer and, in a friendly match against Cape Verde in May 2006 preluding the final stages, he showed great form as he netted a hat-trick in a 4–1 win.[39] However, after scoring the side's first goal in the group stage match against Angola,[40] he failed to find the net again during the tournament; after Portugal's defeat to Germany in the third place play-off, he announced his international retirement.[41]

Style of play

A prolific goalscorer in his prime, Pauleta was considered one of the best strikers in Europe. He usually operated as a lone striker or alongside another forward, and combined mobility, pace and athleticism with good technique, two-footedness and strength in the air.[42][43][44][45]

Personal life

Pauleta's nickname was passed down from generation to generation in the family of his father's maternal grandmother,[46] while his goal celebration of spreading his arms like wings earned him the additional moniker The Eagle of the Azores.[47]

In November 2005, he signed to become a FIFA ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages, the first Portuguese to do so.[48]

Career statistics

Club

More information Club, Season ...

International

More information National Team, Year ...

List of international goals scored by Pauleta[32]

Honours

Deportivo

Bordeaux

Paris Saint-Germain

Portugal

Individual

Orders


References

  1. "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Portugal" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  2. Crépin, Timothé (26 January 2017). "Mercato, Ligue 1: Ces Portugais passés par le PSG" [Market, League 1: Portuguese men with spells at PSG] (in French). France Football. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  3. Simões de Abreu, Alexandra (14 January 2018). "Pauleta: "Ainda hoje as pessoas abordam-me na rua e dizem: 'Olha o homem do queijo'" [”Pauleta: “People still approach me in the street and say: 'Look at the man of the cheese'”]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  4. Segura, Manuel (16 May 1998). "Adiós con sonrojo" [Embarrassing goodbye]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  5. Ferreiro, Mariluz (18 November 2008). "El último vuelo de Pauleta" [Pauleta's last flight]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  6. "Pauleta estreia-se a marcar nas Eurotaças" [Pauleta scores first goal in Eurocups]. Record (in Portuguese). 19 October 1999. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  7. "Pauleta marca pelo Deportivo da Corunha" [Pauleta scores for Deportivo La Coruña]. Record (in Portuguese). 5 November 1999. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  8. ""Hat-trick" sensacional de Pauleta" [Sensational hat-trick from Pauleta]. Record (in Portuguese). 22 November 1999. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  9. "Esquadrão Imortal – Deportivo La Coruña 1999–2004" [Immortal squad – Deportivo La Coruña 1999–2004] (in Portuguese). Imortais do Futebol. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  10. "Pauleta no Bordéus por 4 anos" [Pauleta in Bordeaux for 4 years]. Record (in Portuguese). 1 September 2000. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  11. "Dream debuts". UEFA. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
  12. "Pauleta marca três e apura Bordéus" [Pauleta scores three and qualifies Bordeaux]. Record (in Portuguese). 26 September 2000. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  13. "Pauleta honoured by fellow players". UEFA. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
  14. "Golden Ball 50 named". UEFA. 13 November 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
  15. "Pauleta brace brings Bordeaux cup". UEFA. 20 April 2002. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
  16. "Keegan eyes Pauleta". BBC Sport. 24 January 2003. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  17. Pedro Pauleta – 2002–03 Stats Archived 20 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine; at French League
  18. Pauleta prize for PSG; UEFA, 10 July 2003
  19. Hundred up for Pauleta; UEFA, 2 November 2007
  20. "Cup of joy for PSG, despair for Lens". UEFA. 29 March 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  21. Gillen, Sean (25 November 2006). "Pauleta announces retirement date". PortuGOAL. Archived from the original on 6 January 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  22. Retired Pauleta returns to PSG; UEFA, 21 November 2008
  23. "PSG: Ibrahimovic bat le record de buts de Pauleta" [PSG: Ibrahimović beats Pauleta's goals record] (in French). Europe 1. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  24. Da Cunha, Pedro Jorge (20 September 2010). "Pauleta, regresso e despedida: dois golos para o São Roque" [Pauleta, return and goodbye: two goals for São Roque] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  25. Portugal back on track; BBC Sport, 10 June 2002
  26. ""Poker" Pauleta". Record (in Portuguese). 20 November 2003. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  27. "Pauleta será o capitão" [Pauleta will be the captain]. Record (in Portuguese). 27 August 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  28. "Scolari não quer perder o hábito de ganhar" [Scolari does not want to lose the habit of winning]. Record (in Portuguese). 16 August 2005. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  29. "Pauleta beats Eusebio's Portugal goal record". ESPN FC. 12 October 2015. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  30. "Pauleta dethrones "The King"". UEFA. 13 October 2005. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016.
  31. Valente, Susana (27 May 2006). "Portugal vence Cabo Verde com 3 golos de Pauleta" [Portugal defeat Cape Verde with 3 goals from Pauleta] (in Portuguese). Relvado. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  32. "Winning start satisfies Scolari". BBC Sport. 11 June 2006.
  33. "Figo and Pauleta both bowing out". BBC Sport. 8 July 2006. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  34. Correria, Nuno (13 July 2000). "'Pauleta' Resendes". ESPN FC. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  35. "Pauleta". BBC Sport. 15 May 2002. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  36. "Pauleta". BBC Sport. 25 May 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  37. "Pauleta, from the Azores with goals". FIFA. 29 March 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  38. Graça, Emanuel (2 September 2005). "Pauleta levanta voo" [Pauleta takes off]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  39. Johnson, Jonathan (29 November 2016). "Oft-criticised Cavani, firing on all cylinders for PSG". ESPN FC. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  40. Pauleta at ForaDeJogo (archived) Edit this at Wikidata
  41. Pauleta at BDFutbol
  42. Pauleta at Soccerway
  43. "Pedro Miguel Pauleta". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  44. "Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas" [Portuguese Honorary Orders] (in Portuguese). Presidency of the Portuguese Republic. Retrieved 10 March 2015.

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