Victor de Paula

Victor Matheus de Paula (born 18 January 1995) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Ykkösliiga club Jippo.

Club career De Paula first moved to Finland in early 2018 and signed with Mikkelin Pallo-Kissat in third-tier Kakkonen. His move was arranged by former Brazilian footballer Rafael, who had spent most of his career in Finland. However, de Paula and fellow Brazilian players left the club in July due to obscurity in salary payments. For the 2019 season, he signed with Klubi 04, the reserve of team of HJK Helsinki. In 2020, he played for Atlantis, and in 2021 he returned to Mikkelin Pallo-Kissat.

For the 2022 season, de Paula joined Jippo in Kakkonen. After his first season with the club, de Paula was named the Defender of the Year in Kakkonen Group A. He repeated the award in 2023. At the end of the 2023 season, Jippo won the Group A and eventually were promoted to newly established second-tier Ykkösliiga via promotion play-offs. He debuted in Finnish second level on 13 April 2024, in a 3–0 away win against SalPa. He was an integral part of the team's defense as Jippo surprisingly finished 3rd in the league. After the season, it was announced he would leave the club. During his three seasons with Jippo, de Paula totalled 69 appearances and scored eight goals in all competitions combined.

In January 2025, he signed with Penya Encarnada in Andorran first-tier Primera Divisió.

Career statistics

Honours Jippo Kakkonen Group A: 2023 Individual Kakkonen Group A, Defender of the Year: 2022, 2023