1. Early Life and Background
Paulo Assunção was born on January 25, 1980, in Várzea Grande, Mato Grosso, Brazil. He later acquired Portuguese nationality due to his extensive time playing professional football in Portugal, a country where he spent many years, primarily with FC Porto.
2. Club Career
Paulo Assunção's professional football career spanned over a decade, taking him through clubs in Brazil, Portugal, Spain, and Greece, where he established himself as a reliable defensive midfielder.
2.1. Early Career in Brazil
Assunção began his professional football journey with SE Palmeiras, a prominent club in his native Brazil. He made his first professional appearances for the club before having a brief spell with FC Porto B, the reserve team of the Portuguese giants, in the 2000-01 season. After this short stint in Portugal, he returned to Palmeiras for another period from 2001 to 2002.
2.2. Career in Portugal
Following his second spell at Palmeiras, Assunção moved to Portugal, joining C.D. Nacional for the 2002-03 season. He made his Primeira Liga debut on January 26, 2003, in a goalless home draw against Vitória de Guimarães. He spent two individually successful seasons with Nacional, which led to his re-acquisition by FC Porto.
For the 2004-05 season, Assunção was loaned to AEK Athens F.C. in Greece, where he played under former Porto coach Fernando Santos. He returned to Porto in July 2005 and quickly became an instrumental element in the team's midfield, often playing alongside notable players like Raul Meireles and Lucho González. During this highly successful period, Porto clinched three consecutive Primeira Liga championships from 2005-06 to 2007-08, along with the 2005-06 Taça de Portugal and the 2006 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. His departure from the Estádio do Dragão was contentious, as he left the club after being reportedly threatened by Porto supporters who pressured him to renew his contract. He ultimately exercised Article 17 of the FIFA Transfer Regulations to terminate his contract.
2.3. Career in Spain
In early July 2008, after buying out the remainder of his contract with Porto, Assunção joined Atlético Madrid. He quickly adapted to the capital side, becoming a regular starter. In the 2008-09 La Liga season, he played in 34 league matches, helping Atlético secure a fourth-place finish and a subsequent qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
Assunção scored his first goal for the Colchoneros on January 17, 2010, during the team's 3-2 home victory against Sporting de Gijón. He continued as an undisputed starter in the holding midfield role until midway through the 2010-11 La Liga season, when he began to lose his position to the newly signed Mario Suárez, resulting in 24 league appearances that season. In the 2011-12 La Liga campaign, his playing time further decreased as he became fourth choice in his position, behind Suárez, Gabi, and Tiago. Despite making only nine league appearances, he contributed to Atlético's successful 2011-12 UEFA Europa League campaign, featuring in six matches (four starts) as the club reached and won the final against fellow Spanish club Athletic Bilbao. After the 2011-12 season, despite having one year left on his contract, Assunção left Atlético Madrid by mutual consent, as he was no longer part of manager Diego Simeone's plans.
2.4. Later Career
After more than a decade in European football, Assunção returned to his native Brazil, signing a one-year contract with São Paulo FC on July 21, 2012. However, his tenure with the club was brief, as his contract was terminated by mutual consent on December 28, 2012. He then made another return to Spain, joining Deportivo de La Coruña in January 2013. In January 2014, at the age of 34, Assunção signed for Levadiakos F.C. in the Super League Greece. He ultimately left the club in June 2014, having not made any competitive appearances during his time there.
3. Playing Style and Position
Paulo Assunção primarily played as a defensive midfielder, a role often referred to as a holding midfielder or central midfielder. He was particularly renowned for his strong positioning and effective tackling abilities. These attributes were crucial to his role in protecting the defense and breaking up opposition attacks, making him a key defensive anchor in the midfield for his teams. His height was 68 in (173 cm) and his weight was 148 lb (67 kg).
4. Personal Life
Paulo Assunção's son, Gustavo Assunção, has also followed in his father's footsteps and become a professional footballer, playing as a midfielder.
5. Post-Playing Career
After retiring from his professional playing career, Paulo Assunção has actively pursued UEFA coaching licenses. This endeavor signals his preparations for a future career in football management or coaching, aiming to contribute to the sport from a different role.
6. Honours
Porto
- Primeira Liga: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08
- Taça de Portugal: 2005-06
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2006
Atlético Madrid
- UEFA Europa League: 2009-10, 2011-12
- UEFA Super Cup: 2010
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2009-10
São Paulo
- Copa Sudamericana: 2012
7. Career Statistics
The "Other" column in the table below includes appearances in the Copa dos Campeões, Campeonato Paulista, Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, Torneio Rio - São Paulo, and UEFA Super Cup.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Palmeiras | 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Porto B | 2000-01 | 36 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 36 | 4 | ||||
| Porto | 2000-01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Palmeiras | 2001 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2002 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |||
| Nacional | 2002-03 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 16 | 1 | |||
| 2003-04 | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | 37 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | 53 | 2 | ||||
| Porto | 2004-05 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2005-06 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | - | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2006-07 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2007-08 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| Total | 73 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 102 | 0 | |
| AEK Athens (loan) | 2004-05 | 24 | 0 | 8 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | - | 37 | 0 | ||
| Atlético Madrid | 2008-09 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 8 | 0 | - | 43 | 0 | ||
| 2009-10 | 30 | 1 | 7 | 0 | - | 16 | 0 | - | 53 | 1 | |||
| 2010-11 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2011-12 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | - | 17 | 0 | |||
| Total | 97 | 1 | 15 | 0 | - | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 147 | 1 | ||
| São Paulo | 2012 | 11 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | - | 11 | 0 | |||
| Deportivo | 2012-13 | 9 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Levadiakos | 2013-14 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 324 | 7 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 429 | 7 | |