West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta named in 20-man shortlist for Brazil award
Lucas Paqueta has been announced in the 20-man shortlist for Brazil’s Samba Gold award after his efforts with West Ham this season.
Paqueta started the year playing for Lyon in France before he made a club-record £51million switch to West Ham in the summer. [Sky Sports]
The 25-year-old has quickly grown to become a key part of David Moyes’ side, and his efforts for the Irons have been acknowledged with a nomination for the Samba Gold award.
The annual award is given to the best Brazilian player playing overseas in that calendar year, and Paqueta is one of 12 Premier League stars to have been named in the latest shortlist. [football.london]
Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar won the award in both 2021 and 2020, with Liverpool’s Alisson the last Premier League player to scoop the award in 2019.
Voting for the winner opens on January 3 and will remain open until January 31, closing after four weeks.
Recognition
Despite not yet scoring for West Ham, Paqueta has been a creative outlet for the Hammers and still hasn’t hit top gear.
The Brazilian playmaker hasn’t yet justified the huge fee paid for him in the summer, but he has shown glimpses of why Moyes was so keen to bring him to east London.
As he settles down and familiarises himself with the Premier League and it’s physical demands, hopefully West Ham will start to see the best of Paqueta.
He enjoyed a brilliant World Cup campaign with Brazil playing in a slightly deeper role – something that Moyes may want to try as he attempts to get the best out of his summer investment.
But it’s promising that Paqueta has been recognised for his club efforts by the Samba Gold award. He’s certainly not one of the favourites to win the award next month, but West Ham fans will be glad to show him plenty of support in the voting.