West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta absolutely ran the show for Brazil against England at Wembley last night.
Lucas Paqueta has been in fantastic form for West Ham this season, but the 26-year-old seemed to reach a whole new level for Brazil against England last night, and he upstaged his former Hammers teammate Declan Rice.
On a personal level, the former Lyon man has experienced a difficult last nine months or so, and is still said to be under investigation by the FA and FIFA regarding irregular betting patterns.
As a result, the West Ham star hadn’t been included in a Brazil national team squad since June 2023 before last night.
Paqueta credited his manager David Moyes earlier this week for sticking by him, and labelled the Scot as ‘essential’ to his fine form.
He has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City this summer, but endeared himself to the Hammers fans when he refused to be drawn on the speculation in midweek, citing the fact that he has too much respect for us as a club.
Listen, I wouldn’t be surprised one little bit if Paqueta leaves us to join Man City in the summer, especially considering the fact that he has an £85 million release clause inserted into his current contract at the London Stadium.
The Hammers ace proved once again last night just how good he is with a scintillating performance at Wembley Stadium against the Three Lions…
Lucas Paqueta impresses for Brazil vs England
The Brazil international midfielder is such an elite talent, but there are so many more strings to his bow than just his flair.
He has proven time and time again for West Ham that he is more than willing to work hard and partake in the dirty side of the game.
Back when we signed him from Lyon in 2022, South American football expert Tim Vickery told us that Lucas Paqueta was an enigmatic talent:
“He really is an attacking midfielder, you can play him right up front, can play him as a kind of withdrawn winger and you could also play him deeper in midfield. Although there is a problem there that sometimes he can give the ball away too close to goal because he’s showboating. This is the one potential problem with him and is the reason, I think, that he’s available to a club like West Ham – and is at Lyon at the moment – after not quite hitting the expectations at Milan. He is a little bit petulant, there’s a little bit of the petulant schoolboy about him. You’d hope that somebody who grew up on an island without cars would have a calmer disposition to life than Paqueta has! So it would be a challenge of man management for David Moyes but the quality, the class that he could bring are very, very exciting indeed.”
He knows all there is to know about Brazilian football, and I would suggest that the above description of Paqueta is absolutely spot on!
Tim Vickery took to his official X account last night, and praised the West Ham star to the hilt:
The fact that we have Lucas Paqueta at West Ham is beyond belief really isn’t it!
The Brazilian star is one of the game’s most enjoyable players to watch, and you can tell that he plays with the mindset that he’s a little kid out on the streets.
Lucas Paqueta was sensational for Brazil against England last night, and the fact that he’s equally concerned about his defensive responsibilities as he is going forward is a real sign of just how humble and down to earth he is.
What a player we have at West Ham!
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