João Paiva

João Paiva

Personal information
Full name	João Pedro Lemos Paiva
Date of birth	February 8, 1983 (1983-02-08)
Place of birth	Lisbon, Portugal
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Grasshoppers
Number	9
Youth career
1995–2001	Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2003	Sporting B	48	(20)
2003–2004	Marítimo B	25	(5)
2004–2005	Espinho	9	(1)
2005–2007	Apollon Limassol	54	(16)
2008	AEK Larnaca	12	(2)
2008–2011	Luzern	72	(23)
2011–	Grasshoppers
National team
2001–2002	Portugal U19	9	(0)
2003	Portugal U20	11	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 July 2011. † Appearances (Goals).

João Pedro de Lemos Paiva (born 8 February 1983 in Lisbon) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Grasshopper Club Zürich in Switzerland, as a striker.

Football career

Paiva played almost exclusively lower league football in his country: having been under contract with both Sporting Clube de Portugal and C.S. Marítimo, he only appeared for both clubs' reserve sides. In 2004–05 he played with Sporting de Espinho in the second division, but appeared in less than one third of the league games, as his team was also relegated after ranking 18th and last.

Paiva then spent three years in Cyprus, with Apollon Limassol and AEK Larnaca FC (half a season with the latter). For 2008–09, he joined FC Luzern in Switzerland, scoring 11 goals in 23 matches in his first year as the side finished ninth in the Super League, only barely avoiding relegation.

In January 2011, Paiva agreed a contract with another club in the country, Grasshopper Club Zürich, effective as of July.

External links

• Stats and profile at Zerozero
• Stats at ForaDeJogo (Portuguese)
• Official site at BancadaVIP (Portuguese)