Marcos Paulo

Marcos Paulo Costa do Nascimento (born 1 February 2001), known as Marcos Paulo, is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série B club Juventude. Born in Brazil, he represents Portugal at international level.

Club career

Fluminense Born in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, Marcos Paulo began his career at Fluminense, and had a release clause of €45 million at the age of 17. he was unused in the 3–0 loss.

Marcos Paulo made his professional debut on 30 January 2019 in the Campeonato Carioca, playing the last ten minutes of a 3–0 win over Madureira at the Maracanã Stadium, in place of Bruno Silva. On 18 May he played his first game in the national league, entering at the same point in a 4–1 home win over Cruzeiro.

In the 2019 Copa Sudamericana, Marcos Paulo played seven games as Flu reached the quarter-finals. He scored his first goals on 30 July in the last 1 second leg 3–1 home win over Uruguay's Peñarol (5–2 aggregate). He scored four goals in 24 games in the domestic league that year, all towards the end of the campaign, starting with the equaliser in a 1–1 home draw with Chapecoense on 26 October; he said after the game that to not win it was a disappointment.

On 1 March 2020, Marcos Paulo scored twice in a 5–1 home win over Madureira in the first game of the Carioca season.

Atlético Madrid On 5 July 2021, Marcos Paulo was announced by La Liga club Atlético Madrid, joining in a free transfer and signing a five-year contract. On 24 August 2021, he joined Primeira Liga side Famalicão on a season-long loan deal.

On 1 September 2022, Marcos Paulo was loaned to Segunda División side CD Mirandés, for one year. On 28 December, he returned to Brazil and joined Série A club São Paulo on loan until the end of the 2023 season.

On 29 August 2024, Marcos Paulo joined Belgian side RWD Molenbeek on a one-year loan deal with a buyout clause. Molenbeek terminated the loan early on 7 November 2024.

Boavista On 23 January 2025, Marcos Paulo signed a three-year contract with Série D club Boavista. Three months later, he was sent on loan to Série B club Operário Ferroviário until the end of the 2025 season.

Juventude On 13 January 2026, Marcos Paulo moved to Série B club Juventude, signing a one-year contract.

International career Marcos Paulo is eligible to represent Portugal through his maternal grandfather, born in Vila Cova, Vila Real. He made his international debut for Portugal under-18 on 17 April 2019 as a 52nd-minute substitute for Tiago Araújo in a 1–1 home draw with France. In the following days he scored in wins over Mexico (two in a 3–1 victory) and Denmark as his team won the Porto International Tournament.

Marcos Paulo's first involvement with the under-19 team was at the 2019 Toulon Tournament. He played the first two games of a group-stage elimination, and scored in a 3–2 win over reigning champions England in Salon-de-Provence.

Career statistics

Club