Igor Paixão

Igor Guilherme Barbosa da Paixão (; born 28 June 2000) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward or left winger for Ligue 1 club Marseille.

Paixão graduated from the academy of Coritiba in 2019. After a loan move to Londrina, he became a key player for Coritiba before moving abroad to Feyenoord in 2022. At Feyenoord, he won the Eredivisie, the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield and was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. Paixão has represented Brazil at under-23 level.

Club career Coritiba Beginnings Born in Curiaú, a quilombola neighborhood in Macapá, Amapá, Paixão joined Coritiba's youth setup in 2014, after a trial period. On 26 October 2018, he signed his first professional contract with the club.

Paixão was promoted to the first team in January 2019, after playing in the 2019 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. He made his professional debut on 27 January, coming on as a second-half substitute for Giovanni in a 0–0 Campeonato Paranaense home draw against Toledo. In April 2019, he was demoted back to the under-20 team by new manager Umberto Louzer. He featured in five further matches in the league, all of them as a substitute, as his side achieved promotion to the Série A.

Loan to Londrina On 19 January 2020, Paixão was loaned out to Série C side Londrina until the end of the season. He scored on his club debut just hours later, netting a last-minute winner in a 2–1 home success over PSTC.

Paixão helped Tubarão in their promotion to the Série B, scoring three goals in the Série C, and returned to his parent club in January 2021.

Breakthrough

Upon returning, Paixão started to feature regularly for Coritiba under manager Gustavo Morínigo, and scored his first goal for the club on 28 March 2021, netting the opener in a 2–1 home win over Cascavel CR. He was also an undisputed starter in the 2021 Série B, scoring seven goals as his side returned to the top tier.

On 7 February 2022, after already scoring four goals in the first five matches of the new campaign, Paixão renewed his contract until the end of 2024. He made his debut in the main category of Brazilian football on 10 April, starting in a 3–0 home win over Goiás.

Paixão scored his first goal in the top tier on 23 April 2022, netting his team's first in a 2–2 draw at Atlético Mineiro.

Feyenoord On 17 August 2022, Paixão signed a five-year contract with Feyenoord in the Netherlands. He made his debut for the club and in European club football on 8 September 2022 as a substitute for Quinten Timber during a 4–2 defeat to Lazio in the UEFA Europa League group stage. He made his Eredivisie debut three days later, providing an assist for Santiago Giménez during a 3–0 derby win against Sparta Rotterdam. On 15 January 2023, Paixão scored his first goal for the club, scoring the first goal in a 3–0 away win over FC Groningen. He then scored his first goal in European club football on 20 April 2023 against Roma in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, although Feyenoord were knocked out after extra-time. Along with teammates Orkun Kökçü and Giménez, Paixão was named in the Eredivisie Team of the Month for his performances in April 2023, including goals against Sparta Rotterdam and RKC Waalwijk. On 21 April 2024, Paixão scored the only goal in the 2024 KNVB Cup final against NEC.

On 11 December 2024, Paixão scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 4–2 win against Sparta Prague and was subsequently named the UEFA Player of the match. For his performances in January 2025, including a goal against Willem II, he was named into the Eredivisie Team of the Month. In a 6–2 win against FC Twente on 16 March 2025, Paixão scored the first hat-trick of his career and also provided two assists, becoming the third Feyenoord player to be involved with five goals in a single Eredivisie match in the 21st century, and the first Brazilian to score a hat-trick in the Eredivisie since Everton in 2011. He was then named the Eredivisie Player of the Month for March 2025. On 21 May 2025, he was named Dutch Footballer of the Year, becoming the fourth Brazilian to win the Golden Boot. reported to be €35 million including add-ons. A month later, on 30 September, he scored his first goals for the club by netting a brace in a 4–0 victory over Ajax in the Champions League.

International career On 18 August 2023, Paixão became the first-ever player from Amapá to be called up for the Brazil national under-23 team. He made his debut for the team on 7 September 2023 in a friendly against Morocco. On 28 February 2025, Paixão was included in the preliminary squad for the Brazil national football team, consisting of 52 players, for the first time.

Career statistics

Honours Coritiba Campeonato Paranaense: 2022 KNVB Cup: 2023–24 Johan Cruyff Shield: 2024

Individual Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2024–25 Eredivisie Goal of the Year: 2023–24 Eredivisie Player of the Month: March 2025 Eredivisie Team of the Month: April 2023, January 2025, March 2025, April 2025