Igor Paixao was extremely close to joining Leeds United in the summer transfer window, but instead he’s dishing out Champions League masterclasses for Marseille.
Paixao to Leeds never did materialise, although it was close. The Athletic say the club had received emails from Feyenoord and Paixao’s representatives suggesting respective terms had been agreed – this was just three months prior, in July.
That said, Marseille also came in for the Brazilian for a club record fee of around €30 million (£26.2m), and the 25-year-old opted to link up with Roberto De Zerbi instead of Daniel Farke and the Premier League’s Leeds United.
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Paixao started for his new side away at Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday evening, and he certainly made an impact.
Igor Paixao scores wondergoal for Marseille in Champions League
The Ligue 1 side faced a tough trip to Lisbon, taking on Rui Borges’ team at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
The scoring was opened by Paixao with an absolute cracker.
The winger cut in on his favoured right foot and whipped a shot into the top-right corner of the Sporting net, leaving the stranded Rui Silva with no chance.
Paixao celebrated by kissing the Marseille badge, despite being at the club for just a short while. It was a strike worthy of a fine celebration.
However, the game did not end favourably for the former Leeds target. After former West Ham full-back Emerson Palmieri was sent off, Sporting pulled it back through substitutes Geny Catamo and Fotis Ioannidis, who cancelled out Paixao’s strike to make the game 2-1.
Igor Paixao loving life – just not at Leeds United
Paixao not joining Leeds was a bitter blow for Farke, with the winger his top priority in the summer, and it’s easy to see why. He is a man in fine form.
🇧🇷⚡️ Igor Paixão (25) has 6 goals contributions in his last 4 matches for Marseille!
• ⚽️⚽️🅰️ vs Ajax
• ⚽️ vs Metz
• 🅰️ vs Le Havre
• ⚽️ vs Sporting
He joined Marseille in the summer from Feyenoord. pic.twitter.com/Gk4jz6bKow
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) October 22, 2025
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When asked what motivated him to join Marseille, he said: “That’s an easy question. OM is a club with values. It’s very special for me. I want to give my all. It’s a big responsibility, we’re going to do something great.”
It seems he made the right choice, and Leeds appear to have missed out on a real gem.