1. Playing career
Paulo César Silva Peixoto's playing career spanned several prominent Portuguese clubs, where he primarily featured as a left midfielder but also adapted to a left-back role. His time as a player was marked by significant achievements, challenging injuries, and a notable position change under different coaches.
1.1. Club career
Peixoto's club career saw him progress from lower divisions to the top tier of Portuguese football, playing for several well-known teams and contributing to their successes.
1.1.1. Belenenses
After spending his first two professional seasons at the lower-division club Clube Caçadores das Taipas, located near his hometown of Guimarães, Peixoto's talent as a left winger allowed him to make a direct leap from the fourth division to the Primeira Liga with C.F. Os Belenenses. This move was facilitated by former player João Cardoso, who helped him develop as a player. In his first year with Belenenses, he scored seven goals, including a memorable long-range shot that sealed a 3-0 victory against FC Porto at the Estádio do Restelo. In July 2002, he signed with Porto, where he would be managed by José Mourinho.
1.1.2. Porto
Peixoto's tenure at FC Porto did not unfold as smoothly as anticipated. Despite his talent, he struggled to secure a consistent starting position in the first team. In his debut season with Porto, he made only 15 appearances and scored three goals. Although coach José Mourinho initially trusted his abilities, Peixoto had a slow start to the following season. However, he began to establish himself in the starting lineup, scoring in two consecutive league matches, both 4-1 victories, in October 2003. He was starting to catch up with top-level players like Benni McCarthy, Derlei, and Deco.
However, on 22 October 2003, during a UEFA Champions League match against Olympique de Marseille, which Porto won 3-2 away, Peixoto sustained a severe injury. Although it initially appeared minor, a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament was diagnosed the following day, forcing him to miss most of the campaign.
After his recovery, Peixoto was involved in a car accident, crashing his Mercedes-Benz SL500 while speeding to arrive on time at Porto's training center in Vila Nova de Gaia. He suffered only minor bruises, but the car was completely wrecked, prompting an immediate demand for explanations from Mourinho. This incident significantly damaged his professional image. Midway through the following campaign, in January 2005, he was loaned to Vitória S.C. to regain his form. He returned to Porto for the 2005-06 season.
Facing another potential loan, Peixoto remained on the transfer list until the last moment but ultimately secured a place in the team. Due to internal issues with Nuno Valente and the sub-par performances of Leandro, coach Co Adriaanse successfully converted Peixoto into a proficient left-back, a transformation similar to those of Portuguese internationals Miguel and Paulo Ferreira, who had played as right midfielders during most of their under-21 careers.
After scoring twice (and an own goal) in a 3-2 victory against Associação Naval 1º de Maio, Peixoto suffered another major knee injury, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season and eliminated any chance of selection for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was subsequently dismissed by Adriaanse and joined La Liga side RCD Espanyol on loan for the 2006-07 season. However, he failed to make any competitive appearances for the Catalans, and Espanyol terminated his contract on 27 February 2007. Peixoto finally severed all ties with Porto in March 2007.
1.1.3. Vitória S.C.
Peixoto was loaned to Vitória S.C. in January 2005 during the 2005-06 season. This loan spell proved beneficial, allowing him to regain his previous form and confidence after a period of struggles and injury at Porto. Following this successful period, he returned to Porto for the remainder of the 2005-06 campaign.
1.1.4. Braga
On 29 May 2007, Peixoto signed a three-year contract with S.C. Braga, expressing his delight at joining what he called "...the fourth biggest team in Portugal." After two intermittent seasons with the club, he refused to participate in Braga's 2009-10 UEFA Europa League fixtures against IF Elfsborg, following reported interest from S.L. Benfica. This refusal led to his suspension by Braga.
1.1.5. Benfica
On 7 August 2009, a transfer deal was finalized between Braga and S.L. Benfica for a fee of 400.00 K EUR, with Braga retaining 50% of the player's rights. During his first season with Benfica, Peixoto primarily played as a left-back, competing for the position with another adapted player, Fábio Coentrão.
He made 65 official appearances for Benfica, scoring one goal in a 6-0 away victory against Grupo Desportivo e Recreativo Monsanto in the 2009-10 edition of the Taça de Portugal. However, Peixoto was eventually deemed surplus to requirements by manager Jorge Jesus, a common fate for many Portuguese players at the time, and was not assigned a jersey for the 2011-12 campaign. He was ultimately released from his contract on 6 January 2012.
1.1.6. Gil Vicente
On 31 January 2012, Peixoto signed with Gil Vicente F.C. for the remainder of the season. In the second leg of the Taça da Liga semi-finals on 22 March, he provided an assist for Hugo Vieira's opening goal in a 2-2 draw against Braga, a match Gil Vicente eventually won on penalties. He went on to play in the final, where Gil Vicente suffered a 2-1 loss to his former club, Benfica.
Peixoto signed a new three-year deal with Gil Vicente on 17 July 2012. He scored his first goal for the club from Barcelos on 28 April of the following year, converting a Panenka penalty kick to secure a 2-0 home victory over relegation rivals S.C. Olhanense. On 7 November 2014, Peixoto was suspended by the club. He was subsequently dismissed on 26 December, with Gil Vicente citing "just cause" for his termination, specifically for missing a planned visit to a school.
1.2. International career
At the age of 28, Peixoto earned his sole cap for the Portugal national football team. This occurred on 19 November 2008, when he appeared as an 84th-minute substitute for Maniche in a 6-2 friendly defeat to the Brazil national team. He was later called up by coach Carlos Queiroz for the final matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, but he did not feature in any of those games.
2. Coaching career
Following his playing career, Peixoto transitioned into football management, taking on various coaching roles across different divisions in Portugal.
2.1. Early coaching career
Peixoto began his managerial career on 11 March 2019, when he was appointed as the manager of LigaPro side Varzim SC. After successfully guiding the team to avoid relegation, he moved to Académica de Coimbra in the same league on 19 June of the same year. However, his tenure at Académica was short-lived, as he departed five months later, having accumulated only nine points from ten matches. On 19 December 2019, Peixoto signed with G.D. Chaves, succeeding José Mota at the club, which was then eighth in the second division. He immediately began leading training sessions.
2.2. Main coaching experience
Peixoto gained his first experience in the top tier of Portuguese football in November 2020, when he replaced Ricardo Soares at Moreirense F.C. on a short-term contract. However, after securing only one victory in five league fixtures, he resigned on 2 January 2021.
On 16 December 2021, Peixoto took over from Jorge Simão at F.C. Paços de Ferreira. He arrived with the team in 13th place and managed to guide them to a 11th-place finish in the 2021-22 season. The following campaign started poorly, with Paços de Ferreira failing to secure a win and earning only two points from nine league games. Following a 2-0 loss to Liga 3 side Vitória de Setúbal in the third round of the cup on 16 October 2022, Peixoto was dismissed. He returned to the same position at Paços de Ferreira on 2 January 2023, after his replacement, José Mota, had resigned without securing any points in four fixtures. Despite his efforts, Paços de Ferreira were eventually relegated, finishing second-bottom, and Peixoto chose not to renew his contract on 30 May 2023.
On 3 June 2024, Peixoto made a return to Moreirense F.C., replacing Rui Borges, who had led the club to a record-high 55 points in the main division during the 2023-24 season. However, his second spell at Moreirense was short-lived; he was fired on 24 February 2025, after the team managed only one victory in their last 12 matches.
3. Managerial statistics
Managerial record by team and tenure:
| Team | Nat | From | To | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varzim | PortugalPortugalPortuguese | 11 March 2019 | 19 June 2019 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 44.44 |
| Académica | PortugalPortugalPortuguese | 19 June 2019 | 16 November 2019 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 16 | -3 | 28.57 |
| Chaves | PortugalPortugalPortuguese | 19 December 2019 | 30 June 2020 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 25.00 |
| Moreirense | PortugalPortugalPortuguese | 10 November 2020 | 2 January 2021 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 42.86 |
| Paços Ferreira | PortugalPortugalPortuguese | 16 December 2021 | 16 October 2022 | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 25 | 44 | -19 | 23.33 |
| Paços Ferreira | PortugalPortugalPortuguese | 2 January 2023 | 30 May 2023 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 33 | -14 | 30.00 |
| Total | 92 | 27 | 23 | 42 | 81 | 120 | -39 | 29.35 | |||
4. Honours
Paulo César Silva Peixoto achieved several team honours during his playing career with FC Porto and SL Benfica, and was a runner-up with Gil Vicente F.C.
Porto
- Primeira Liga: 2002-03, 2003-04, 2005-06
- Taça de Portugal: 2002-03
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2003, 2004
- UEFA Champions League: 2003-04
- UEFA Cup: 2002-03
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2009-10
- Taça da Liga: 2009-10, 2010-11
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira runner-up: 2010
Gil Vicente
- Taça da Liga runner-up: 2011-12
5. Personal life
From 2005 to 2007, Paulo César Silva Peixoto was married to actress and Rádio e Televisão de Portugal presenter Isabel Figueira. The couple had one child, a son named Rodrigo, born on 2 September 2006. They divorced in October 2007. On 3 January 2022, Peixoto tested positive for COVID-19.