Corinthians idol Paulo Borges would have turned 81 this Wednesday

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Central do Timão

·24 December 2025

Corinthians idol Paulo Borges would have turned 81 this Wednesday

By the Central do Timão Editorial Team

Right winger Paulo Borges etched his name in Corinthians history by scoring one of the goals that ended the 11-year taboo without beating Santos in the Campeonato Paulista. He would have turned 81 years old this Wednesday, the 24th.

Born in Laranjais (RJ) on December 24, 1944, Paulo Borges was known for his easy smile. That’s why he earned the nickname “Risadinha” (Little Laugh), but he stood out for more than just his good humor. A fast and goal-scoring right winger, he played a prominent role at Corinthians between 1968 and 1971, and again from 1972 to 1974.

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Flávio Minuano and Paulo Borges. Photo: Reproduction

It was his goal that opened the scoring against Pelé’s Santos, when Corinthians won 2-0 and put an end to one of the most famous taboos in Brazilian football. Corinthians went eleven years (22 games) without beating the Santos team in the Campeonato Paulista, from 1957 to 1968. Because of this, Paulo Borges, who was only on loan to Timão, was signed in what was then the most expensive transfer ever, for 1 million cruzeiros.

The Tardes de Pacaembu blog recounts Paulo Borges’ purchase by Corinthians as follows:

“Paulo Borges was considered the most expensive player in Brazil in 1968. Living a great moment, Paulo Borges’ transfer attracted the interest of several clubs. But the president of Bangu set the price sky-high and wouldn’t budge a single cent.

Finally, in February 1968, after a huge effort to raise the 1 million cruzeiros demanded by the Rio de Janeiro club’s directors, president Wadih Helu managed to bring Paulo Borges to Parque São Jorge.

In headlines, in huge letters, newspapers announced the millionaire sum invested in the flashy football of one of the greatest revelations of the Rio scene.”

In an interview published in the pages of Placar magazine, Paulo Borges revealed to readers how he learned about his transfer to Corinthians. The striker said that everything was decided quickly by director Castor de Andrade, who surprised him while he was riding his bicycle through the streets of Bangu:

— Mr. Castor de Andrade stopped his car and told me: Go home and change your clothes. You’re going to Corinthians… It’s just for three months. And he gave me 1 million Cruzeiros in cash.”

Risadinha played 235 matches wearing the Timão shirt, scored 62 goals, and won the Torneio do Povo (1971). For the Brazilian National Team, he played 20 games, with 14 wins, three draws, three losses, and four goals.

He passed away at just 66 years old, in São Paulo, on July 15, 2011. A year earlier, in March 2010, during the club’s centenary celebrations, together with Flávio Minuano, he was officially recognized as an idol by Corinthians. The club’s Cultural Department paid tribute to the former player by immortalizing his footprints on the Walk of Fame at the Corinthians Memorial.

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