Who Is Igor Paixao - Feyenoord’s Brazilian Star?

Feyenoord secured their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League last night with a 1-1 draw at the San Siro that saw them win 2-1 on aggregate against AC Milan. For the last couple of years, the club has been going under the radar in terms of producing strong talent, but Jurrien Timber, Luis Sinisterra and Santiago Gimenez are all examples of players that they have sold for big fees. Their latest talent is Brazilian winger Igor Paixao, who dominated AC Milan in the first leg and has already drawn the attention of clubs across Europe.

Early Career

You would be forgiven for thinking that Paixao was a youngster, as his name has not been on the lips of football fans for very long, but the Brazilian is 24 years old, so he is entering some of his prime years. He was born in Macapa, a city in the north of Brazil on the mouth of the Amazon river, and grew up in an Afro-Brazilian community.

At the age of 14, he joined the youth set up of Coritiba Football Club, a side based in the far south of the country. By the time he was 18, he was highly regarded by the club and made his senior debut in January 2019. However after just a few months, he was demoted back to the under 20s team by the new manager, Umberto Louzer. He played a small part at the end of the 2019 season, helping his side get promoted to the Serie A, but he was unable to hold a regular place in the team.

🇧🇷 Igor Paixão. Big game player.#feyacm • #UCL pic.twitter.com/m2jCcm54WY

— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) February 14, 2025

In 2020, he was loaned to Serie C side Londrina for the season and managed to score his first professional goal just hours later. Throughout the 2020 season in Serie C, Paixao developed as a talented forward, but his end product was still lacking, as he only managed three goals in 20 league appearances. On the plus side, Londrina were promoted to Serie B that year.

Breakthrough And Move To Feyenoord

When he returned to Coritiba, the side had been relegated to Serie B, but had a new manager in charge, so Paixao was given a chance to prove himself. During the 2021 season, he became a regular starter in the Coritiba side and scored seven times in the league as they got promoted back to the top tier of Brazilian football.

Paixao only played half of the next season with Coritiba, as his performances earned him a move to Feyenoord in the summer of 2022. The step up to the Serie A was not a problem for the winger as he netted his first of four top flight goals in a draw against Atletico Mineiro. He signed for Feyenoord in August 2022 for roughly £5m.

Paixao At Feyenoord

Paixao’s first few months at Feyenoord were tough. He was making regular appearances in the attack but was unable to convert his opportunities into numbers. It took him until January to get off the mark, but once that happened the ball really started rolling for him in the Netherlands. He scored a total of seven goals in his first season, including the one that secured the title for Feyenoord in a 3-0 win over Groningen.

In his second season, he secured his second piece of silverware, with the only goal in the KNVB Cup final against NEC Nijmegen. On top of that, he managed to score a brace in a 6-0 win over rivals Ajax, making it the worst league defeat in the club’s history. In his second season, he finished with 11 goals in all competitions, marking an improvement on the previous year.

Whoever picks up Igor Paixao this summer is getting an unbelievable talent.

Simply remarkable tonight against Milan. Incredible player. pic.twitter.com/2ya50oVLIX

— Elias (@EliasKokinos) February 12, 2025

This season, he has continued in a similar vein. He has 22 goal involvements in 32 games, including a remarkable 10 assists in the Eredivisie. He was integral in beating AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League tie, humiliating Kyle Walker, and was also a key part of the sides that beat Bayern Munich 3-0 and drew 3-3 against Manchester City at the Etihad.

What Next For Paixao?

His recent performances have sparked a lot of interest in him from across Europe. In the Premier League, Bournemouth look like the frontrunners to sign him in the summer, however they have a whole host of wingers already at the club, so they might be looking to move some on. Newcastle and Tottenham are also interested in him, although the Magpies would only get him in if they were to lose Anthony Gordon in the summer, and Tottenham already have Son Heung-min, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore who can play in that position.

Elsewhere, Roma are interested in the Brazilian winger. Reports from CalcioMercato suggest that they approached Feyenoord in January but were put off by a £30m price tag. The Dutch side hope that they will be a clamour for European clubs to snap him up in the summer, which would make his price go up considerably.