Born in São Paulo, Gabriel Paulista joined Vitória's youth setup in 2009 from Taboão da Serra, after having failed trials at Grêmio Barueri and Santos.

[3] He made his senior debut for the former on 7 March 2010, starting in a 3–1 win at Camaçari for the Campeonato Baiano championship,[4] his only appearance in a season in which Vitória won the state title.

[9] On 25 May, in the opening game of the 2013 season, he scored his only goal in the national league, putting Vitória 2–0 up after 12 minutes against Internacional at the Arena Fonte Nova, an eventual 2–2 draw.

[12] Gabriel Paulista featured in 18 league matches during his first season abroad, sharing terms with Chechu Dorado, as the Yellow Submarine finished sixth and subsequently returned to a European competition.

[23] On 28 December 2015, Gabriel headed in Mesut Özil's corner kick to open a 2–0 win against Bournemouth; the result put The Gunners top of the Premier League.

[27] Gabriel Paulista played five games as Los Che won the 2018–19 Copa del Rey, including the 2–1 final win over Barcelona on 25 May; it was their first honour for eleven years.

[31] Owing to a muscular injury in his right leg, Gabriel Paulista was sidelined from 30 October 2021[32] until the following 26 February, when he needed just four minutes to score the only goal away to Mallorca.

[34] On 31 January 2024, Gabriel Paulista joined fellow La Liga club Atlético Madrid on a free transfer, signing a contract until the end of the season.

[36] On 20 March 2015, Gabriel Paulista was called up to the Brazil national team for the first time, replacing the injured David Luiz for friendly matches against France and Chile.