MY ACCOUNT
It was not Neymar, Gabriel Jesus or Vinicius Junior who scored the goal to book Brazil’s place at the 2022 World Cup — it was the unheralded Lucas Paqueta.
The versatile midfielder has enjoyed a resurgent 12 months following his move from AC Milan to Lyon in September 2020 and is now one of the stars of Ligue 1.
He has also become a key cog for the Selecao and could have an instrumental role to play tonight as Brazil take on Argentina in South American qualifying.
Ahead of that top-of-the-table clash, we take a look at why the 24-year-old is hitting new heights for club and country this season.
From frustrating to devastating
Paqueta burst onto the scene with Flamengo, making his debut for his hometown team in 2016.
His sensational performances for the Rubro-Negro alerted many of Europe’s elite sides and there was a scramble for his services.
AC Milan beat Paris Saint-Germain to the punch and brought the talented Brazilian to Italy in January 2019.
However, he struggled at San Siro. In the 37 league appearances he made for the Rossoneri, the Rio de Janeiro native scored just once and only assisted two goals.
But since the switch to Lyon, the world has seen a different player.
Paqueta registered 14 goal contributions last season in 30 Ligue 1 appearances and already has seven in 13 this term. His potential is finally being fulfilled.
A learning curve
Having had the world at his feet while playing for Flamengo, Paqueta was brought back to earth with a bang in Italy.
In a recent interview, the 27-cap international gave an honest assessment of his time with Milan.
He said: “When I struggled, I put myself under pressure. Sometimes I looked at whoever was talking about me outside the locker room.
“I ended up taking everything personally. I felt that I had to score more and be more decisive.
“In the end, this confused me a bit. However, it was a learning experience and now I feel freer.”
The right system
During his first season with OL, former boss Rudi Garcia was at the helm.
Lyon finished fourth and missed out on Champions League football, despite ending the campaign just seven points behind champions Lille.
One thing to note, though, is that only PSG (86) scored more goals than Les Gones (81).
This free-flowing, attacking football suits Paqueta — and it is no coincidence that he thrived in that team.
It has been a similar story this season under new manager Peter Bosz. OL play a basketball-esque game — end to end — and this is one of the reasons why they have scored 21 and conceded 21 in 13 matches.
That frenetic and chaotic approach undoubtedly plays to the strengths of Paqueta.
The main man
Lyon have Houssem Aouar, Moussa Dembele, Bruno Guimaraes and Maxence Caqueret at their disposal but Paqueta is the poster boy for this side.
When they are in need of a moment of magic, the team often directs play towards the Brazilian.
As shown in his pass map, he can pull the strings from all over the pitch.
Paqueta can start counter-attacks with a raking switch, he can retain possession with a simple five-yard pass and he is more than capable of picking out a team-mate with an incisive, line-splitting ball forward.
OL’s No10 is in the 92nd percentile for progressive passes when compared with midfielders across Europe over the past year (6.27 per 90 minutes).
He is also in the 82nd percentile for pressures (21.66 per 90), making his output similar to that of Kevin De Bruyne, Luis Alberto and Jude Bellingham.
Paqueta does a little bit of everything and that is one of the reasons why he has been given so much responsibility at the Groupama Stadium.
Goals get you noticed
Ultimately, football is a results business and players are judged on goals and assists. Without those, performances can go under the radar.
Paqueta has the end product to ensure his displays are not going unnoticed.
His output is repeatable and sustainable. The Brazil international is getting into good areas on a regular basis for both club and country.
If that continues, it will be intriguing to see where he ends up next with a host of top European clubs reportedly keeping tabs on the versatile, goalscoring midfielder.
