Paulinho scores trivela, shines in Mexico, message to Martínez | OneFootball

Paulinho, former player of Sporting, was once again the standout figure for Toluca, scoring a trivela goal that was crucial for his team to eliminate Monterrey and secure a place in the final of the Mexican league’s Apertura Tournament. After the match, the 33-year-old forward sent a message to Roberto Martínez and expressed his desire to return to the National Team.

"First of all, I hit the jackpot by playing here with this team and these fans. I am a very happy person and a very happy player. And I owe them everything I’m experiencing right now," he began, before talking about the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

"About the national team, obviously. I really want to go, I want to play for Portugal. And even more so in Mexico, it would be... I don’t know. Two years ago, if you had talked to me about this possibility, I would have said you were crazy. But now I’m here and I’m going to work for it," concluded the player who has never been called up by the current Spanish coach, who recently spoke about the possibility of calling up Paulinho.

Paulinho has three appearances for the National Team (two goals). In November 2020, he was called up by Fernando Santos for the friendly against Andorra and for the Nations League double-header against France and Croatia. Since then, he has never represented the national team again.

This season, wearing Toluca’s shirt, Paulinho – valued at 7 million euros – has already played 20 matches: 18 in the Mexican league, one in the Champions Cup, and another in the Leagues Cup. In the 1,507 minutes he has played, the former Sporting forward has already scored 15 goals and provided two assists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.