Many questioned Paulinho's signing by Barcelona this summer, either because of his high price or because they didn't see a player of the Brazilian midfielder's profile in a team like Barça. But little by little, the former Guangzhou Evergrande player is winning over the fans.
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This Wednesday against Olympiakos, Paulinho completed the full 90 minutes of the match, and if we look at the statistics, we can see that he was not just a mere passerby in his first Champions League start.
The Brazilian completed the most passes by far, an impressive 114 - the next in this category was Busquets with 96 - and he did so with a success rate of 97.4%. He also had the most touches on the ball, with 126.
These are quite impressive numbers considering how little Paulinho has played in the two months he has been at Barcelona, although they are normal statistics for a midfielder. But Paulinho's performance went beyond that.
Paulinho joined the attack with purpose, and only Lionel Messi had more shots than him (seven by the Argentine compared to five by the Brazilian), even hitting the crossbar with a header.
It's a type of work that often goes unnoticed, but Barcelona's '15' is starting to feel important in the team, and best of all, he is making the most of his opportunities.