 Paixão withLechia Gdańsk in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Flávio Emanuel Lopes Paixão[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-09-19)19 September 1984 (age 41)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Sesimbra, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1995 | Alfarim | ||
| 1995–2003 | Sesimbra | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2005 | Sesimbra | ||
| 2005–2006 | Porto B | 11 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Villanovense | 34 | (10) |
| 2007 | Jaén | 8 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Benidorm | 53 | (11) |
| 2009–2011 | Hamilton Academical | 55 | (9) |
| 2011–2013 | Tractor | 61 | (20) |
| 2014–2016 | Śląsk Wrocław | 71 | (24) |
| 2016–2023 | Lechia Gdańsk | 239 | (84) |
| Total | 532 | (159) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Flávio Emanuel Lopes Paixão (born 19 September 1984) is a Portuguese former professionalfootballer who played as aforward.
He never played professionally in his own country, and earned his greatest successes in Poland, scoring 108Ekstraklasa goals forŚląsk Wrocław andLechia Gdańsk, all-time best for a foreigner.[2][3] Additionally, he had spells in Spain, Scotland and Iran.
Born inSesimbra,Setúbal District, Paixão spent his early career in Portugal and Spain, playing with lowly teams in both countries – his hometown'sG.D. Sesimbra,FC Porto B,[4]CF Villanovense,Real Jaén andBenidorm CF.
In the2006–07 season, he scored ten goals for Villanovense but suffered relegation fromSegunda División B, the only level in which he competed in Spain.[5]
Paixão's first taste of professional football came on 6 August 2009 as he signed forScottish Premier League clubHamilton Academical alongside twin brotherMarco.[6] He made his league debut nine days later, playing the full 90 minutes of a 3–0 loss away toKilmarnock.[7]
Paixão was released from his contract with immediate effect on 14 April 2011, alongside his sibling.[8] He appeared in 60 official matches for the Accies, scoring ten goals; his first was in a 2–1 loss atHeart of Midlothian on 26 September 2009.[9]
On 2 August 2011, Paixão signed a one-year contract withTractor S.C. inIran, for an undisclosed fee.[10] In hisfirst season he netted a club-best ten goals in thePro League, being voted by Goal.com as best player on the team.[11]
Paixão then returned to Europe, joining PolishEkstraklasa'sŚląsk Wrocław at the tail end of the2013–14 campaign. In hisfirst full season he scored 18 goals, bettered only byKamil Wilczek fromPiast Gliwice;[12] this included a hat-trick on 25 October 2014 in a 4–1 win atLechia Gdańsk.[13]
On 8 February 2016, Paixão moved to Lechia Gdańsk for a fee of £100,000 with two years left on his contract, with Śląsk unhappy with the player's behaviour and accusing him of being disloyal[14]– he reunited with his sibling, who arrived earlier fromAC Sparta Prague.[15][16] He scored a combined 26 goals in his first two and a half seasons, adding ten in all competitions in2017–18, five of which were against Lechia's main rivalsArka Gdynia in theTricity Derby.[17]
The2018–19 campaign proved to be Paixão's best in terms of goalscoring with 15 goals in total, with him being his team's top scorer and the fifth highest in the league as theyfinished in third position.[18] He broke a long-standing Lechia record of scoring the most goals for the team in thePolish top division, surpassing previous holderBogdan Adamczyk on 25 November 2018 after finding the net againstJagiellonia Białystok.[19] He alsowon thePolish Cup,assisting the only goal of the final on 2 May against Jagiellonia forArtur Sobiech in added time, having earlier had a goal ruled out by thevideo assistant referee for offside.[20]
At the start of2019–20, Paixão started in thePolish Super Cup, helping his sidewin the match 3–1 after defeating Piast.[21][22] He scored in both legs of thesecond qualifying round in theUEFA Europa League againstBrøndby IF (5–3 aggregate loss),[23][24] and as a result became the first club player to achieve the feat more than once in European competition.[25]
On 23 April 2022, Paixão scored his 99th and 100th goals in the Polish top tier in a 2–0 win againstWarta Poznań, becoming the 34th player in the league's history to achieve this feat and the first foreigner to do so.[26] His second was also Lechia's 1000th in the history of the competition.[27]
On 4 May 2023, it was announced Paixão would leave the club at the end ofthe season which saw Lechia compete in thequalifying rounds of theUEFA Europa Conference League but also struggle domestically, resulting in relegation toI liga.[28] He made his final appearance on 20 May 2023 in a 1–0 victory overLegia Warsaw, and wasreplaced in extra time of the first half to a guard of honour from both teams.[29]
During their spell in Poland, both Paixão and his sibling were repeatedly poised to be called up to thePortugal national team, but nothing came of it.[30]
Paixão'stwin brotherMarco was also a footballer, Flávio being the younger by five minutes.[31]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Porto B | 2005–06[32] | Segunda Divisão | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||||
| Villanovense | 2006–07[33] | Segunda División B | 34 | 10 | — | — | — | — | 34 | 10 | ||||
| Jaén | 2007–08[33] | Segunda División B | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Benidorm | 2007–08[33] | Segunda División B | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 21 | 5 | ||
| 2008–09[33] | Segunda División B | 34 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 38 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 53 | 11 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 59 | 13 | ||||
| Hamilton Academical | 2009–10[34] | Scottish Premier League | 25 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11[35] | Scottish Premier League | 30 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 4 | |||
| Total | 55 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 60 | 10 | ||||
| Tractor | 2011–12[36] | Iran Pro League | 30 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 10 | |||
| 2012–13[36] | Iran Pro League | 31 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | 6[d] | 1 | — | 37 | 11 | |||
| Total | 61 | 20 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 67 | 21 | ||||
| Śląsk Wrocław | 2013–14[36] | Ekstraklasa | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 1 | |||
| 2014–15[36] | Ekstraklasa | 37 | 18 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 41 | 19 | ||||
| 2015–16[36] | Ekstraklasa | 21 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | 4[e] | 0 | — | 29 | 6 | |||
| Total | 71 | 24 | 8 | 2 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 83 | 26 | ||||
| Lechia Gdańsk | 2015–16[36] | Ekstraklasa | 16 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 6 | ||||
| 2016–17[36] | Ekstraklasa | 33 | 10 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 35 | 11 | ||||
| 2017–18[36] | Ekstraklasa | 34 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 10 | ||||
| 2018–19[36] | Ekstraklasa | 37 | 15 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 43 | 15 | ||||
| 2019–20[36] | Ekstraklasa | 31 | 14 | 6 | 5 | — | 2[e] | 2 | 1[f] | 0 | 40 | 21 | ||
| 2020–21[36] | Ekstraklasa | 30 | 12 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 12 | ||||
| 2021–22[36] | Ekstraklasa | 32 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 10 | ||||
| 2022–23[36] | Ekstraklasa | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[g] | 3 | — | 31 | 10 | |||
| Total | 239 | 84 | 20 | 6 | — | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 266 | 95 | |||
| Career total | 532 | 159 | 36 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 589 | 176 | ||
Lechia Gdańsk
Individual
