Portugal honours Pauleta
Thursday, June 5, 2003
Article summary
Pauleta is to be awarded the Comenda da Ordem de Mérito by Portuguese president Dr Jorge Sampaio.
Article body
Portuguese record
Pauleta, capped 45 times by Portugal, is to be honoured on 10 June, Portuguese National Day. Scorer of 19 international goals, he is being given the award of merit for representing Portuguese football in France. As he will be playing for Portugal in a friendly against Bolivia that night, his father will receive the award on his behalf.
Prolific spell
After spells with CU Micaelense, GD Estoril, UD Salamanca, and RC Deportivo La Coruña - with who he won the 1999/00 Spanish title - Pauleta moved to Bordeaux in 2000 and has since scored 65 times in 98 league matches. In his second season he was the leading scorer in the French top flight as Bordeaux won the League Cup, and this year the 30-year-old was named the best overseas player in France.
'A great honour'
He said of the Comenda da Ordem de Mérito award: "It is hard to explain, but it is a great honour for any one being distinguished by the president." On his father collecting the award, he added: "Of course I would like to be there, but that day we play against Bolivia, so my father will represent me."
