Paulinho has missed 87 Palmeiras games through fitness issues | OneFootball

Paulinho has suffered a right adductor injury and will be out for at least two weeks, missing next Wednesday’s Copa do Brasil round of 16 second leg. According to Globo.com, he has now missed 87 Palmeiras matches through physical problems.

He had already sat out the games against Vitória and Fortaleza. At the club since January 2025, he has managed only 25 appearances.

Between his signing and debut he missed 20 matches, finally featuring on 12 April 2025 against Corinthians. By July, when he decided the Botafogo match at the Club World Cup, he had played 14 more. After the tournament in the United States, he had another operation on his right leg, missing 65 further games.

The expected layoff should cost him at least four more fixtures. In 2025 he made 16 appearances and scored three goals after joining for R$ 115 million.

His standout spell came at the Club World Cup, where limited minutes did not prevent him being decisive in the draw with Inter Miami and the win over Botafogo. This season he has nine games and two goals.

The club’s medical staff are cautious, given two surgeries on his right leg and a recent ankle sprain after he returned as a starter. Load management before and during the World Cup pause aimed to reduce muscle risk, and he retains club backing.

This season he has logged 179 minutes, averaging 20 per outing under minute limits used before the pause. On 26 July against Atlético-MG he started after 441 days and played 60 minutes. He has been sidelined since, working to regain his place.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”