Who is Lucas Paqueta? The Premier League player who won his case against betting charges

New York Times

5 days ago

Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared on The Athletic in May 2024
It is not hard to imagine a parallel universe in which Lucas Paqueta spent this summer playing in the Club World Cup for Manchester City.
In summer 2023, he was on the cusp of a transfer move to City after a breakout 2022-23 season for West Ham United. That fell apart when an FA investigation into alleged breaches of betting regulations came to the fore.
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Instead of competing in the U.S., he has spent the majority of the summer — and the last two seasons — with the threat of a significant ban from playing football hanging over his head. The Athletic reported earlier this year that a verdict was meant to drop during this time.
Paqueta was charged last year, accused of 'intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting'. The charges related to four Premier League matches: one in 2022 and three in 2023. He always denied the charges.
Now the verdict has been given. An independent regulatory commission have found the misconduct charges around the betting breaches not proven. They did, however, find the charges for breaches of FA Rule F3 — failing to comply with obligations to answer questions and provide information to the FA's investigation — to be proven.
Even so, Paqueta is now free to continue his career.
The midfielder, born Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima, grew up on — and gained his nickname from — Paqueta, a small island in Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay. He played academy football for Flamengo, Brazil's biggest club, graduating to the first team in 2016.
There were, initially, a few doubts over Paqueta's physique. He was a late developer and did not always seem to have the strength to thrive in central midfield. But his technical quality shone through, as did his knack for making his mark in big games: Paqueta scored in the 2017 Copa do Brasil and Copa Sudamericana finals, becoming a fan favourite in the process.
Like most talented young Brazilians, Paqueta made his way to Europe. His destination was Milan in Italy in 2019, who hoped he might replicate the success of Kaka, a fellow Brazilian. But despite showing the odd flash of inspiration, Paqueta was unable to nail down a starting berth and was sold to Lyon for a loss only one year after his arrival.
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It proved to be the fresh start he needed. 'I put myself under a lot of pressure in Milan,' Paqueta told the French newspaper L'Equipe. 'Too much even. When I moved to France, I told myself I didn't have to put myself through that again. I just had to do my best.'
In Ligue 1, his best was more than good enough. Paqueta became the league's great entertainer — his repertoire of nutmegs, through balls and insouciant celebrations enchanting supporters in the Rhone Valley and beyond.
Paqueta had made his Brazil debut as a Flamengo player in 2018, but it was his form for Lyon that helped him to become a regular at international level. He appeared 26 times for the Selecao in 2021 and 2022, playing in a variety of positions and going to the World Cup as an undisputed starter.
His telepathic understanding with the team's star player, Neymar, made him particularly indispensable; it was no coincidence that the best goal scored in Qatar — Neymar's strike in the quarter-final against Croatia — was the result of a combination between the two players.
By that point, Paqueta was already starting to establish himself as a Premier League star. Some had questioned whether West Ham — or English football in general — would be a good fit for his mercurial skill set when he joined the club in August 2022, but they soon fell silent. Paqueta settled well and proved that he could put in the hard yards as well as perform conjuring acts with his left boot.
He finished that first season with five goals and seven assists in all competitions. Those numbers rose to eight and seven respectively in 2023-24. The investigation did not seem to affect his performance. It did, however, temporarily cost him his Brazil place: interim coach Fernando Diniz was unwilling to pick him due to the uncertainty.
'I consider Paqueta to be one of the best players of this generation,' Diniz said. 'I really admire him. But there's an investigation ongoing, with no new details. I have to be coherent and ethical.'
Paqueta returned to the Brazil setup earlier this year when Diniz was replaced by Dorival Junior, his former coach at Flamengo.
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He continued to feature for the national team throughout last season, making five appearances — although none once 2024 ended and 2025 began.
Paqueta's form went up and down last season, but he still played frequently for West Ham, making 33 appearances in the Premier League and scoring four goals.
On Thursday, he had the news he had been waiting for all summer. He said: 'Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations. I can't say anything more at this time, but I would like to express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.
'To my wife who never let go of my hand, to West Ham United, to the fans who always cheered me on, and to my family, friends and the legal team who have supported me — thank you for everything.'
The 27-year-old will now try to continue the career that seemed so bright before those charges initially dropped. That will only be to West Ham's benefit.