Igor Paixão: Style of play, stats, international caps, previous clubs & more

Following in the footsteps of childhood idols Ronaldo and Romario, Igor Paixão departed his native Brazil to plunge into a new venture in the Netherlands two years ago.

Signed by Feyenoord from Coritiba, Paixão's raw ability was honed under the attentive eye of Arne Slot and the winger was prominent in the second half of his debut campaign as the Rotterdam club lifted the Eredivisie trophy.

While Slot bid farewell to De Kuip to assume control of Liverpool in the summer of 2024, Paixão remained and the flamboyant attacker has continued to flourish despite Feyenoord's shortcomings in the Eredivisie.

It's been on the UEFA Champions League stage where Paixão has earned the bulk of his rave reviews, presenting his electrifying skillset to the world and registering goal contributions against the likes of Benfica, Manchester City and Milan.

With rumours of a summer transfer intensifying, we assess Paixão's background and development in the latest of our Scouting Europe series.

Igor Paixão age, nationality and background

Igor Paixão is 24 years old and was born on 28th June 2000 in Macapá, the capital of Amapa, Brazil.

Attributes

Height and build

Igor Paixão is 5ft 6ins and is of a slim build.

Preferred foot

Paixão is predominantly right-footed, although the fleet-footed winger has demonstrated that he is effective with his left.

Style of play

A diminutive winger with pace and flair in abundance, Paixão has all of the attributes to be a full-back's nightmare - just ask Kyle Walker!

Paixão is not afraid to shoot when the opportunity presents itself and his intricate footwork enables him to navigate congested spaces before testing the hands of the goalkeeper.

While he possesses a tendency to cut inside, the Brazilian sensation is a confident dribbler, varying his strategy in one-on-one duels and flaunting the ability to beat defenders by running down the byline and delivering a cross.

Ranking in the top 4% across Europe's top five leagues (including Eredivisie) for goal-creating actions, Paixão is a selfless component in Feyenoord's attacking armoury and that's demonstrated in his assist numbers for 2024/25, having reached double figures by the start of February.

He doesn't shirk his defensive duties, either. Paixão averages 1.18 tackles per match in the defensive third, showcasing an eagerness to help his team defend and retrieve possession.

A dangerous threat on transition and a menacing figure to contain in controlled possession, Paixão is an exhilarating prospect.

Igor Paixão statistics

Metric	Total (Per 90)	Rank
Assists	0.41	Top 4%
Goal-Creating Actions	0.82	Top 4%
Goals minus xG	0.15	Top 8%
Goals + Assists	0.72	Top 17%

*Statistics obtained from fbref.com. Player compared to positional peers in Men's Big 5 Leagues over the last 365 days.

Career so far

Previous clubs

Joining Coritiba's academy at the age of 14, Paixão progressed through the youth ranks of the 1985 Brasileiro Série A champions and signed his first professional contract with the club aged 18.

Three months later, Paixão had made his competitive first-team debut and despite a brief demotion to Coritiba's U20 outfit, opportunities to impress came to fruition at the end of the 2019 campaign.

Paixão was loaned to Londrina in the subsequent season and helped the club to achieve promotion from Serie C, which caught the attention of incoming Coritiba manager Gustavo Morinigo.

2021 was a breakthrough season for Paixão as he netted 10 goals in all competitions to help Coritiba seal a return to Serie A and the attacker maintained his upward trajectory in Brazil's top flight, registering 19 goal contributions to attract substantial interest from Europe before Feyenoord swooped in with the incentive of a five-year deal.

International caps

Forging his way into Dorival Júnior's national team plans will be one of the next items on Paixão's agenda with the attacker yet to make his senior bow for Brazil.

The 24-year-old has made one appearance for Brazil's U23s - a 1-0 defeat to Morocco in July 2023 - but that's as far as his international exploits have gone in his fledgling career.

Igor Paixão transfer rumours

The departure of his former manager Slot to Liverpool resulted in rumours linking Paixão with a switch to Merseyside in the summer of 2024.

Those links ultimately proved fruitless but the rumour mill has been re-energised following Paixão's dazzling campaign and his reported release clause of £25m is unlikely to dissuade any potential suitors.

A number of Premier League clubs are reportedly tracking the winger, including Tottenham, Newcastle and Bournemouth, while a potential Arsenal switch had also been mooted during the January transfer window.