João Paiva
Encyclopedia
João Pedro de Lemos Paiva (born 8 February 1983 in Lisbon
) is a Portuguese
footballer who plays for Grasshopper Club Zürich in Switzerland
, as a striker.
in the second division
, but appeared in less than one third of the league games, as his team was also relegated after ranking 18th and last.
Paiva then spent three years in Cyprus
, with Apollon Limassol
and AEK Larnaca FC (half a season with the latter). For 2008–09, he joined FC Luzern in Switzerland
, scoring 11 goals in 23 matches in his first year as the side finished ninth in the Super League
, only barely avoiding relegation.
In January 2011, Paiva agreed a contract with another club in the country, Grasshopper Club Zürich, effective as of July.
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
) is a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
footballer who plays for Grasshopper Club Zürich in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, as a striker.
Football career
Paiva played almost exclusively lower league football in his country: having been under contract with both Sporting Clube de Portugal and C.S. Marítimo, he only appeared for both clubs' reserve sides. In 2004–05 he played with Sporting de EspinhoS.C. Espinho
Sporting Clube de Espinho, also known as Sporting de Espinho, is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Espinho, Aveiro district. The club has departments in volleyball - Sporting de Espinho , and handball - Sporting de Espinho that usually compete in the major Portuguese top leagues, and also...
in the second division
Liga de Honra
The Liga de Honra , known for sponsorship reasons as the Liga Orangina, is the Portuguese second level football league. It was formerly called Segunda Divisão and Segunda Divisão de Honra . When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide levels, it was renamed Segunda Liga, before renaming it...
, but appeared in less than one third of the league games, as his team was also relegated after ranking 18th and last.
Paiva then spent three years in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, with Apollon Limassol
Apollon Limassol
Apollon Limassol is a Greek Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon F.C...
and AEK Larnaca FC (half a season with the latter). For 2008–09, he joined FC Luzern in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, scoring 11 goals in 23 matches in his first year as the side finished ninth in the Super League
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
, only barely avoiding relegation.
In January 2011, Paiva agreed a contract with another club in the country, Grasshopper Club Zürich, effective as of July.