1. Overview
Uilson de Souza Paula Júnior (born April 27, 1989), commonly known as Júnior Caiçara, is a Brazilian professional footballer who primarily plays as a right-back. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Caiçara is currently with Santo André. His extensive career has seen him play for several clubs across different countries, including Brazil, Portugal, Bulgaria, Germany, and Turkey, achieving multiple league titles and domestic cups, and participating in prestigious European competitions. He also holds Bulgarian citizenship, making him eligible to represent the Bulgarian national team.
2. Early life and background
Júnior Caiçara was born Uilson de Souza Paula Júnior on April 27, 1989, in São Paulo, Brazil. He stands at 68 in (172 cm) and weighs 152 lb (69 kg). He began his youth career at Coritiba before moving into professional football.
3. Club career
Júnior Caiçara's professional career spans multiple leagues and countries, marked by consistent performances as a right-back and significant contributions to his teams' successes.
3.1. Early career in Brazil
Júnior Caiçara started his professional career at Santo André. He made his senior debut with the club's B-team in the 2008 Copa Paulista. In 2009, he was loaned to Brazilian team CSA. Upon his return to Santo André in May 2009, Caiçara made his Série A debut on May 16, starting in a 4-2 away win over Coritiba where he was notably sent off. In 2010, he had another loan spell, joining América-SP, where he appeared in four Campeonato Paulista Série A2 matches before being released on February 10.
3.2. Gil Vicente
In June 2010, Caiçara moved to Portugal, joining Gil Vicente on loan from Santo André. He made his debut on August 29 against Trofense in the Segunda Liga, Portugal's second division. During his two seasons with Gil Vicente, he played a crucial role in helping the team secure Primeira Liga promotion in the 2010-11 season, and continued to play for them in their return to the top flight.
3.3. Ludogorets Razgrad
After two seasons with Gil Vicente, Júnior Caiçara joined Bulgarian club Ludogorets Razgrad on June 5, 2012. He signed a three-year contract and was assigned the number 80 jersey.
Caiçara's debut for Ludogorets was impactful, as he scored his first goal and secured his first trophy with the club on July 11 in the 2012 Bulgarian Supercup against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, a match Ludogorets won 3-1. A week later, on July 18, he made his European debut against Dinamo Zagreb in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. His Bulgarian A Group debut followed on August 11, where he played the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 away victory over Cherno More Varna. Caiçara quickly established himself as Ludogorets's primary right-back, making 28 league appearances in his first season in Bulgaria and earning his first A Group title winner's medal at the end of the 2012-13 season.
On August 21, 2013, Caiçara received his first red card while playing for Ludogorets in a Champions League play-off round match against Basel, which ended in a 4-2 home defeat. On December 12, 2014, Ludogorets announced that Caiçara had extended his contract for an additional two years, keeping him at the club until 2017.
3.4. Schalke 04
On June 25, 2015, Júnior Caiçara transferred to German club Schalke 04, signing a three-year deal. The transfer fee was 4.50 M EUR. He made his Bundesliga debut in a 1-1 draw against Darmstadt 98.
3.5. İstanbul Başakşehir
Caiçara's career continued in Turkey, as he signed with İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. on January 16, 2017, agreeing to a 3.5-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Just three days later, he made his debut for the team in the Turkish Cup, coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute against Yeni Amasyaspor. On January 22, he completed his Süper Lig debut for the team, again as a substitute, in a match against Fenerbahçe. He was a key part of the İstanbul Başakşehir squad that won the Süper Lig title. His contract with the club was terminated on February 19, 2023.
3.6. Return to Brazil
On August 21, 2023, Júnior Caiçara returned to his home country of Brazil, signing a contract with Santos in the top tier until the end of the year.
3.7. Second stint at Santo André
On January 3, 2024, Caiçara made a return to his former club, Santo André, for the season.
4. International career
Júnior Caiçara is eligible to represent both his birth country, Brazil, and Bulgaria. He acquired a Bulgarian passport on July 1, 2014, making him eligible to play for Bulgaria from 2017. He has publicly stated his willingness and happiness to represent Bulgaria on the international stage. In February 2017, he reiterated his desire to play for Bulgaria if invited, noting that the former manager, Ivaylo Petev, had expressed interest in him, and he was awaiting a call from then-manager Petar Hubchev.
5. Career statistics
| Club performance | League | State League (Includes Campeonato Alagoano and Campeonato Paulista Série A2) | Cup (Includes Copa do Brasil, Taça de Portugal, DFB-Pokal, Bulgarian Cup and Turkish Cup) | League Cup (Includes Taça da Liga) | Continental (Includes UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League) | Other (Includes Copa Paulista and Bulgarian Supercup) | Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Season | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| Santo André | 2008 | Série B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2009 | Série A | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 10 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |||||
| CSA (loan) | 2009 | Série D | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | 8 | 0 | ||||
| América-SP (loan) | 2010 | Paulista A2 | - | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 0 | ||||||
| Gil Vicente (loan) | 2010-11 | Segunda Liga | 28 | 1 | - | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | - | - | 35 | 2 | ||||
| 2011-12 | Primeira Liga | 28 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | - | - | 35 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 56 | 1 | - | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | - | - | 70 | 3 | ||||||
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2012-13 | A Group | 28 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 1 | |||
| 2013-14 | 29 | 0 | - | 8 | 0 | - | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |||||
| 2014-15 | 26 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | - | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 83 | 0 | - | 14 | 0 | - | 28 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 128 | 1 | |||||
| Schalke 04 | 2015-16 | Bundesliga | 23 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | - | 7 | 0 | - | 32 | 0 | ||||
| 2016-17 | 3 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | - | 4 | 1 | - | 9 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 26 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | - | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 1 | |||||
| İstanbul Başakşehir | 2016-17 | Süper Lig | 14 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 18 | 0 | ||||
| 2017-18 | 31 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | - | 10 | 0 | - | 42 | 0 | ||||||
| 2018-19 | 33 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | - | 37 | 0 | ||||||
| 2019-20 | 33 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 11 | 0 | - | 44 | 0 | ||||||
| 2020-21 | 8 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | - | 9 | 0 | ||||||
| 2021-22 | 27 | 2 | - | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 28 | 2 | ||||||
| 2022-23 | 10 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 9 | 0 | - | 19 | 2 | ||||||
| Total | 156 | 2 | - | 8 | 0 | - | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 197 | 2 | |||||
| Santos | 2023 | Série A | 5 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 0 | ||||||
| Santo André | 2024 | Série D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Career total | 327 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 72 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 464 | 7 | |||
6. Honours
6.1. Club
Gil Vicente
- Liga de Honra: 2010-11
- Taça da Liga Runner-up: 2011-12
Ludogorets Razgrad
- Bulgarian A Group: 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15
- Bulgarian Cup: 2013-14
- Bulgarian Supercup: 2012
İstanbul Başakşehir
- Süper Lig: 2019-20