FORMER Premier League star Paulinho broke down in tears as he announced his retirement from football.
The Brazilian starred for Tottenham between 2013 and 2015 and played over 50 times for his national side.
Paulinho, 36, has now hung up his boots for the last time with an emotional video on social media.
He captioned the post: “Thank you football.”
Speaking in the video, in which he struggles to talk, he said: “I was privileged to have been a multi-champion and to have won important things, as well as playing in two World Cups and playing for Barcelona.
“I left a great legacy.
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“In my last game with Corinthians, with 45,000 Corinthians fans, I felt it would be my last game.
“There would be no better way to say goodbye.”
The midfielder has been swamped with tributes from fans and his former team-mates.
One shared: “Congrats bro, an example of a player without a doubt!”
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A second wrote: “Thanks for everything brother! You’re a monster. Football. Thank you.”
A third commented: “Congratulations on the beautiful career, your career is written and will never be erased.”
Paulinho’s career by numbers
Here is a look at Paulinho’s career statistics…
Club career:
Pao de Acucar, 2006-2010
Games: 39
Goals: 7
Assists: 0
Vilnius (Loan), 2006-2007
Games: 38
Goals: 5
Assists: 0
LKS Lodz (Loan), 2007-2008
Games: 17
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Bragantino (Loan), 2009-2010
Games: 46
Goals: 14
Assists: 0
Corinthians, 2010-2013 and 2022-2024
Games: 212
Goals: 40
Assists: 17
Tottenham, 2013-2015
Games: 67
Goals: 10
Assists: 7
Guangzhou FC, 2015-2017 and 2018-2021
Games: 176
Goals: 75
Assists: 29
Barcelona, 2017-2018
Games: 49
Goals: 9
Assists: 3
Al-Ahli, 2021
Games: 4
Goals: 2
Assists: 0
International career:
Brazil, 2011-2018
Games: 56
Goals: 13
Assists: 9
A fourth said: “Congratulations on a wonderful career! Let’s fly even higher, you deserve it!”
Another added: “His legacy is immense.”
Paulinho joined Tottenham as part of the club’s attempts to replace Gareth Bale after the Welshman joined Real Madrid.
The Brazilian failed to show his best form in North London and left the club for the Chinese side Guangzhou FC after two seasons.
However, in 2017, he made a shock return to European football as he signed for Barcelona in a £33million deal.
During his time in Spain, he won the LaLiga title and Copa del Rey in 2018.
He then returned to Guangzhou on an initial loan deal, which was then made permanent for £35m in 2019.
He left the club yet again in 2021 after he was released from his contract due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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After a spell in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli, he returned to Brazilian side Corinthians, where he made his name, in 2022.
But after two years with the club, he has called time on his career.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
