Jair Paula
Full name: Jair Paula da Cunha Filho
Country: Brazil
Date of birth: 07/03/2005 (17 years old)
Place of birth: Brazil
Height: 193cm
Youth career: Santos
Current club: Santos
Squad number: —
Current national team: —
Position: central defender
Preferred foot: right
Market value (by transfermarkt.de): —
Tournaments participated in: Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior 2022 (9/0)
Contract until: unknown
Player’s agent: unknown
Transfer rumours: —
Similar type of player: Virgil van Dijk
Strengths:
– tackling 
– marking 
– athleticism
– positioning
– anticipation
– aerial duels
– passing 
– technique
– tactical intelligence
Weaknesses:
No significant weaknesses.
Style of play:
– complete, dominant, and elegant central defender
– perfect mix of a pure defender and ball-playing centre-back
– tall player with good body mass ratio, physical strength, power, stamina, and natural fitness who feels comfortable in contact situations
– able to play as a right and left-sided centre-back in a four-man defensive line
– modern defender, who combines strength with good technique and passing
– above average pace and coordination for a player of his size
– concentrated player with very good reading of the game and anticipation
– known for his positional sense, confidence in possession, and understanding of the game
– excellent range of passing at all distances
– likes to maraud forward with the ball at his feet and assess his options on the move
– great composure and retention skills under pressure
– does not dive into tackles
– often wins the ball back by outmuscling his opponents/wins most of the physical duels
– extremely dominant in the air
– aerial threat in the opposition box during the set-pieces
– calm and level headed player who likes to play it clean and doesn’t get booked very often
– operates comfortably with his left weaker foot
– mature with good leadership skills/potential captain in the future
Jair Paula stays calm under a heavy pressure from his opponent and plays a superb line-breaking pass to his teammate.
Jair Paula wins a physical challenge with ease and starts the attack of his team with a good run.
Heatmap by Wyscout:
He is best suited to playing as:
Central defender in 4-3-3.
Video:
Achievements:
Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior 2022 runner-up with Santos.
League summary (as for 11 July 2022):
No senior team appearances yet.
Description:
Jair Paula is a ‘Menino da Vila’ – an academy player of the famous Santos youth academy. He is a part of the new wave of highly talented Santos academy players which includes, among others Kaiky Melo, Marcos Leonardo, Renyer, Gabriel Pirani, Sandry, Ângelo Gabriel, Weslley Patati, Derick, and Rwan. In January 2022, Jair was one of the key players for Santos during the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior – a very prestigious tournament considered the most traditional and important under-20 football competition in Brazil – Santos made it to the final but lost to an extremely strong Palmeiras team.
Quotes:
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Football Talent Scout potential rating:
Player has the potential to become a key player in a top European club.
Links: