Paulo Henrique Sampaio Filho, commonly known as Paulinho, was born on 15 July 2000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Having progressed through Vasco da Gama's academy, on 13 July 2017, two days before his seventeenth birthday, Paulinho made his professional debut when he was brought on as a 93rd-minute substitute in a 4–1 win over Vitoria. Eleven days later, he made his first professional start and scored twice in a 2–1 win over Atlético Mineiro, becoming the youngest player ever to score at Brasileirão Série A and the first player born at 2000s to score at Brasileirão Série A. On 27 April 2018, Bayer Leverkusen announced that they had reached an agreement with Vasco da Gama for the transfer of Paulinho. The clubs agreed to a €20 million fee, a club-record deal for Vasco. He joined Leverkusen ahead of the 2018/19 season and signed a five-year contract.