Born in Francisco Beltrão, Paraná, João Paulo graduated from São Caetano's youth setup.
A versatile two-footed central midfielder, he signed with the Japanese club Albirex Niigata in August 2010.
[1] After an unsuccessful stint in Japan, João Paulo returned to Brazil and signed for Ponte Preta in March 2011.
[2] After appearing regularly for Macaca he moved to Atlético Paranaense on 6 July 2012.
This biographical article related to a Brazilian association football midfielder born in the 1980s is a stub.