Paulo Figueiredo

Paulo José Lopes de Figueiredo (born 28 November 1972) is an Angolan retired footballer who played as a central midfielder.

He spent the bulk of his 18-year professional career with Santa Clara, amassing Primeira Liga totals of 97 matches and eight goals over three seasons (eight in total with the club).

An Angola international for five years, Figueiredo earned 38 caps and represented the nation at the 2006 World Cup and two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

Club career
Figueiredo was born in Malanje, Portuguese Angola to Portuguese settlers, moving to the land of his parents at the age of three. From 1991 to 1996 he played for five clubs, including one spell at C.F. Os Belenenses for which he featured only once in the Segunda Liga in the 1991–92 season.

In summer 1996, Figueiredo signed for second-division C.D. Santa Clara, scoring five goals in 33 matches in his third year as they promoted to the Primeira Liga for the first time ever. He made his debut in the competition on 22 August 1999 in a 2–2 home draw against Sporting CP, and made 31 league appearances during the 1999–2000 campaign, but the Azores side were immediately relegated.

After four more seasons with Santa Clara (two in the top flight) and nearly 300 official games, Figueiredo moved to the Portuguese lower leagues, splitting 2004–05 with S.C. Dragões Sandinenses and S.C. Lusitânia. He then joined Sweden's Östers IF, being relegated in his only season in the Allsvenskan.

Figueiredo spent 2007–08 with FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț in Romania and C.D. Olivais e Moscavide in Portugal, without any competitive appearances for the former team. Subsequently, he closed out his career in his homeland after one year with C.R.D. Libolo.

International career
In 2003, aged almost 31, Figueiredo was invited to play for Angola, and returned for the first time in almost 30 years to the country of his birth. After featuring heavily during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign – ten games, scoring against Nigeria in a 1–1 away draw on 18 June 2005 – he was selected to the finals in Germany, playing all three group-stage matches as the Palancas Negras managed two draws in their first participation ever.

Figueiredo also took part in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, exiting at the group phase in 2006 and reaching the quarter-finals two years later.

International goals

 * Scores and results list Angola's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Figueiredo goal.