Vasco academy starlet leaves the club, pens long-term deal with Fortaleza | OneFootball

Fortaleza has officially announced the signing of right-back Paulinho, 20 years old, a product of Vasco da Gama’s youth academy. The player has signed a contract with the club from Ceará until the end of 2030 and arrives as a bet for both the present and future of Leão do Pici.

A homegrown talent from Colina, the defender spent 12 years at Vasco and was released to finalize his move to Fortaleza. The club from Rio de Janeiro retained a percentage of the player’s economic rights, aiming for profit in a potential future transfer, as previously reported by Lance!.

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Paulinho is Fortaleza’s new right-back (Photo: Mateus Lotif/Fortaleza EC)

Paulinho had a stint with Brazil’s youth national team

Paulinho played six matches for Vasco’s professional team, with one goal scored, before finalizing his transfer. In addition to his journey at the Rio club, the full-back also has international experience in youth categories.

The player was champion of the South American Under-20 Championship with the Brazilian National Team last year, which reinforces his status as a prospect and the potential seen by Fortaleza in his signing.

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Paulinho is Fortaleza’s new right-back (Photo: Mateus Lotif/Fortaleza EC)

Full-back aims for growth at Fortaleza and eyes return to Série A

In his first statement as a Fortaleza player, Paulinho highlighted the importance of this new challenge in his career and his ambition to help the club achieve its goals this season.

– I’m very happy to wear Fortaleza’s colors, a giant club that has been growing in recent years. It’s a great opportunity for me to grow in my career. I will do everything to give my best for the team — he told the Tricolor’s official website.

The full-back also emphasized the collective focus and the pursuit of important results in 2026.

– The main goal is to put Fortaleza back where it should never have left, which is Série A, but I’m also focused on helping the team in other competitions. I intend to have a great season with this jersey to bring joy to the Tricolor Nation — he added.

+ Follow Papo na Colina on social media: Thread, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok and Google News.

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