Paulinho boasts perfect strike rate after snatching Barca win at Getafe

Paulinho’s move to Barcelona may have been questioned by some, but he is quickly setting about silencing his critics.

The Brazilian midfielder struggled to produce his best during a previous spell in Europe at Tottenham, but he rediscovered his spark in China with Guangzhou Evergrande, with that form carried over into the international arena.

The 29-year-old’s performances for club and country earned him a €40 million move to Camp Nou in August, and he is offering an immediate return on that investment.

Paulinho was named on the bench by Ernesto Valverde for the trip to Getafe on Saturday.

He was introduced with just 13 minutes remaining, with Barca being held 1-1 at the time.

Within seven minutes of his introduction, and with just six left on the clock, the Samba star grabbed what proved to be the winner.

Barca will be hoping that there are many more goals to come from their big-money addition, especially as €105m winger Ousmane Dembele was forced off with a hamstring injury at Coliseum Alfonso Perez.