LUCAS PAQUETÁ: FAITH, FAMILY AND FOOTBALL’S PUREST JOY
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PHOTOGRAPHY: FILMAWI / STYLING: CARA HAYWARD / CREATIVE DIRECTION: CHARLOTTE MAYUMI PHIPPS / WORDS: Jordan Wise
The West Ham and Brazil star on the moments that shaped him, the people who inspire him, and why joy is his signature move.
Lucas Paquetá does not just play football. He performs it like he was born for a stage. One minute he is slipping a pass through a gap that did not exist two seconds earlier. The next he is pulling out a dance move that turns a goal celebration into a cultural moment. That is Paquetá, part playmaker, part performer, all passion.
“When I score, it’s joy. It’s my signature,” he says. “It started with me, but I found teammates who love it too. For me, it’s the best moment of the game. It gives me extra energy, more happiness.”
He does not do it for the cameras. He does it because it is who he is. The joy is real. The energy is real. The reason is simple: family. “My family is my biggest inspiration,” he says. “Everything I do is for them, to fulfil my dreams.” When his kids walk onto the pitch with him, it is not just cute for the photos. It is the dream playing out in front of them, and for him, that is more powerful than any medal.
The dream started early. He was four, maybe five, when his parents first noticed he could not put a ball down. “I didn’t believe it at first, but now I see my son with the ball all the time and I understand.” Encouragement from his grandfather and his mum set him on the path. By 17, he knew this was his life. “I always believed I could do it, but at that age I knew it was real.”
His professional debut still hits hard when he looks back. “That feeling of fulfilment stays with you.” Since then, he has ticked off some of football’s biggest boxes, playing and scoring at a World Cup, winning a European trophy, but there is one thing that keeps burning in his mind. “Winning the World Cup is still the goal.”
Ask him what is the hardest thing about the sport and he does not hesitate. “Every day, you have to do everything in your power to win. Don’t hold back. Give your best. Help your teammates at any cost. Whether it is a good day or a bad day, you can’t save yourself.”
The lessons come from experience across continents. Serie A taught him control, patience, reading the rhythm of a game. The Premier League taught him to never relax. “There are no easy games here. Bottom can beat top. It is the only league with that level of competitiveness.”
When it comes to linking up, his shortlist is small. “Bruno and Vini, we understand each other on the pitch. It is a natural connection.” Toughest opponent? “Thiago Silva.” Dream team to join from history? “Brazil 2002. That team had everything.”
Off the pitch, Paquetá is a man of many lanes. He is into fashion but prefers clean looks over heavy logos. “I’m starting to like fashion more now.” He is just as happy in a casual fit as he is dressing up. He will pick clubbing over concerts, action over rom-coms, and basketball over watching football. “I don’t really like watching football,” he admits. On his own time, he plays tennis, games of ping-pong, or loses himself in video games.
British life suits him in ways people might not expect. “People here are cooler, more reserved. I’m a private person, so I like that. I don’t feel suffocated.” Still, nothing compares to Brazil. “My mum, my dad, the heat, the beach, flying kites, our culture, our energy… it’s different.”
Paquetá’s faith runs through everything. He talks about Jesus in the same breath as he talks about his career. “Knowing I can achieve new dreams and new things keeps me motivated.” His biggest off-pitch passions? “My family, Jesus, being with friends, playing video games.”
The love for football has not changed since he was a kid kicking a ball around the island he was born on. “It was always my dream to become a football player. I committed everything to it. Knowing it could be real motivated me to win what I have already won. That same feeling still pushes me now.”
It is this mix, samba in the celebrations, steel in the challenges, prayer before kick-off, that makes Lucas Paquetá one of the most watchable players in world football. He is the No. 10 who can split a defence and start a party at the same time, and right now, he is playing like a man who knows the best part of his story is still to come.
