Paulão (footballer, born 1969)


Paulo António Alves, commonly known as Paulão, is an Angolan retired footballer who played as a midfielder.

Club career

Born in Luanda, Paulão arrived in Portugal in 1994, where he would spend the following eight years of his career, joining Vitória F.C. 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 featured sparingly.
Subsequently, Paulão spent 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 eight years, his debut coming in 1993. 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.

International goals

NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.28 February 1993Stade de Kégué, Lomé, Togo1–01–01994 World Cup qualification
2.22 January 1995Botswana National Stadium, Gaborone, Botswana1–12–11996 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3.22 January 1995Botswana National Stadium, Gaborone, Botswana2–12–11996 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4.8 April 1995Independence, Windhoek, Namibia1–02–21996 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
5.23 April 1995Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, Angola2–03–01996 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
6.16 July 1995Estádio da Machava, Maputo, Mozambique1–21–21996 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
7.30 July 1995Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, Angola4–04–01996 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
8.24 January 1996Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa2–13–31996 Africa Cup of Nations
9.1 June 1996Nakivubo Stadium, Kampala, Uganda2–02–01998 World Cup qualification
10.16 June 1996Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, Angola1–03–11998 World Cup qualification
11.16 June 1996Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, Angola3–13–11998 World Cup qualification
12.6 October 1996Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana1–01–21998 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
13.10 November 1996Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, Angola2–12–11998 World Cup qualification
14.30 March 1997Estádio da Machava, Maputo, Mozambique?–?2–1Friendly
15.6 April 1997Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, Angola1–13–11998 World Cup qualification
16.23 April 2000Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, Angola3–07–12002 World Cup qualification
17.23 April 2000Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, Angola5–07–12002 World Cup qualification
18.16 July 2000Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, Angola1–04–12002 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
19.17 June 2001Cabinda, Angola1–02–12002 Africa Cup of Nations qualification