Paulo Ricardo

Paulo Ricardo Ferreira (born 13 June 1994) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League club Garudayaksa.

Club career Born in Laguna, Santa Catarina, Paulo Ricardo joined Santos' youth system in 2012, aged 18, after stints with Atlético Catarinense, Brusque and Figueirense. At the latter he also suffered with recurrent back injuries which included a vertebral fracture.

On 21 March 2014 Paulo Ricardo signed a new deal with Peixe, running until 2017. He made his first team debut on 18 July, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 home success against Palmeiras for the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A championship.

On 26 April 2015, after Werley's illness and Gustavo Henrique's injury, Paulo Ricardo was made a starter in 2015 Campeonato Paulista final against Palmeiras, but was sent off after committing a penalty in a 1–0 away loss. He appeared more regularly with the club during the campaign, being sometimes utilized as a defensive midfielder by manager Dorival Júnior.

On 7 July 2016, Paulo Ricardo was loaned to FC Sion for one year. He made his debut for the club on 10 August, starting in a 3–1 away loss against FC Lugano.

On 24 July 2017, Paulo Ricardo joined Sion permanently, with Santos receiving a compensation fee. On 8 August of the following year, he returned to his homeland after agreeing to a one-year loan deal with Fluminense.

In the summer of 2021, he moved to the Finnish club Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) in the country's top-tier Veikkausliiga. During his time with KuPS, the club won two Finnish Cup titles, and finished twice as the Veikkausliiga runner-up, losing the title to HJK Helsinki with one point difference on both occasions.

On 22 January 2023, Ricardo joined Saudi club Al-Hazem for an undisclosed fee.

On 4 July 2024, Ricardo joined Al-Urooba.

On 14 May 2025, it was announced that Ricardo would return to Finland and KuPS, on a deal for the remainder of the season, starting officially on 1 June.

Persija Jakarta In January 2026, Paulo Ricardo officially joined Indonesian Liga 1 club Persija Jakarta. He signed a contract until the end of the 2025–26 season with an option for an extension. The transfer was completed on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with KuPS. He was brought in to strengthen Persija's back line and was reported to have a market value of approximately €300,000.

Career statistics

Honours Santos Campeonato Paulista: 2015 KuPS Veikkausliiga runner-up: 2021, 2022 Finnish Cup: 2021, 2022 Al-Hazem Saudi First Division League runner-up: 2022–23 Individual Veikkausliiga Defender of the Year: 2022 Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2022