Paíto

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Paíto
Personal information
Full nameMartinho Martins Mukana
Date of birth (1982-07-05) 5 July 1982
Place of birthMaputo, Mozambique
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing positionLeft back
Club information
Current clubSkoda Xanthi
Number3
Youth career
Sporting CP
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2001–2003Sporting B52(2)
2003–2006Sporting CP24(0)
2006Vitória Guimarães (loan)16(1)
2006–2007Mallorca0(0)
2006–2007Braga (loan)4(0)
2007–2010Sion77(3)
2010–2012Neuchâtel Xamax41(1)
2012Vaslui13(1)
2013–Skoda Xanthi7(0)
National team
2002–Mozambique38(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 April 2013.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 June 2012

Martinho Martins Mukana, aka Paíto (born 5 July 1982), is a Mozambican professional footballer who plays for Skoda Xanthi F.C. in Greece, as a left defender.

Club career

Born in Maputo, Paíto began his professional career at Sporting Clube de Portugal, in the 2002–03 season. He became a regular in his third year and, on 26 January 2005, scored his only goal for the Lions, in a 3–3 Portuguese Cup draw against Sport Lisboa e Benfica (penalty shootout loss), in a solo effort.[1]

After the arrival in January 2006, on loan from Valencia CF, of Portuguese international Marco Caneira, Paíto was deemed surplus to requirements and left, also loaned, to Vitória de Guimarães where he was an undisputed starter as the Minho side eventually dropped down a level.

Purchased by La Liga side RCD Mallorca, Paíto immediately returned to Portugal, being loaned to Sporting de Braga for the campaign's duration.[2] Released by the Balearic Islands without making any official appearances, he joined FC Sion.

After three solid seasons in the Swiss Super League Paíto stayed in Switzerland, signing with fellow league side Neuchâtel Xamax. After the latter went bankrupt in January 2012 he joined FC Vaslui in Romania, reuniting with former Sporting coach Augusto Inácio.[3]

Paíto spent the first half of the following campaign without a club, signing in early January 2013 with Skoda Xanthi F.C. in Greece. He made his Superleague debut on the 27th, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 away win against PAOK FC.[4]

International career

Paíto started representing Mozambique at age 20. He was recalled in April for the 2002 COSAFA Cup, nearly two years after his last international.[5] Additionally, he took part in the 2003 COSAFA Cup,[6] the 2006 FIFA World Cup 2006 World Cup qualification, the 2004 COSAFA Cup,[7] 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification and the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

References

  1. Paíto...o golo da sua vida! (Paíto...a goal of a lifetime!); at Zerozero
  2. Paíto in pact with Braga; UEFA.com, 3 July 2006
  3. Verteidiger Paito wechselt zu Vaslui (Defender Paito moves to Vaslui); 20 Min, 7 February 2012 (Portuguese)
  4. PAOK – Skoda Xanthi 0–1; Skoda Xanthi's official website, 27 January 2013 (Greek)
  5. "Mozambique shaken up". BBC Sport. 4 April 2002. Retrieved 1 October 2009. 
  6. "Mozambique take no chances". BBC Sport. 18 March 2003. Retrieved 1 October 2009. 
  7. "Mozambique triumph over Malawi". BBC Sport. 13 June 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2009. 

External links

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