# Taison
**Taison Barcellos Freda** (born 1988 in Pelotas, Brazil) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacker, mainly on the left wing, for the Greek club PAOK. He is best known for an eight-year spell at Shakhtar Donetsk, where he won six Ukrainian league titles and served as captain, and he also earned 8 caps and 1 goal for the Brazil national team between 2016 and 2018.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) • [2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Taison Barcellos Freda, born 1988 in Pelotas, Brazil[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) |
| Position | Attacker, primarily left winger; right-footed; 172 cm, 64 kg[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) • [2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison) |
| Current club | PAOK Thessaloniki FC, joined January 2023 on a free transfer from Internacional[2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison) |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | January 2013 to April 2021, 299 matches and 55 goals; six Ukrainian Premier League titles[2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison) |
| Brazil | 8 caps and 1 goal, January 2016 to August 2018[2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison) |
| Major honors | Copa Libertadores 2010 and Copa Sudamericana 2008 with Internacional; 6 Ukrainian leagues, 5 Ukrainian cups, 5 Ukrainian super cups; Greek Super League 1 in 2023/24[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) |
| Transfer fees | €6.30 million to Metalist Kharkiv in 2010/11; €15.24 million to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2012/13[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) |
## Career
**Internacional and move to Ukraine.** Taison came through the youth ranks at Internacional and broke into the senior side in 2008, a season in which the club won the [Copa Sudamericana](https://www.edgepedia.org/copa-sudamericana); he added the [Copa Libertadores](https://www.edgepedia.org/copa-libertadores) in 2010 and two Campeonato Gaúcho titles in 2008 and 2009.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) • [2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison) His most productive Brazilian season was 2009, with 26 goals in 63 matches.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) In September 2010 he moved to Metalist Kharkiv for a reported €6.30 million, spending three seasons there before Shakhtar Donetsk paid €15.24 million for him in January 2013.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1)
**Shakhtar Donetsk.** Taison spent more than eight years at Shakhtar, from January 2013 to April 2021, totaling 299 matches and 55 goals.[2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison) The club's own annual reports from 2013/14 and 2017/18 feature him among its key players.[3](https://shakhtar.com/en/club/annual-report/~/media/a5950aba7db349c6be6d015fb19effd3.ashx) • [4](https://shakhtar.com/en/club/annual-report/~/media/14acce3410e7429fa8426012353e0fdc.ashx) His best statistical league seasons there included 2019/20, with 11 goals and 9 assists in 38 matches across all competitions.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) In the [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) group stage on 27 November 2018 he scored the winning goal in stoppage time against Hoffenheim, a low shot that gave Shakhtar a 3-2 win and kept its path to the round of 16 open; the Spanish sports daily AS described him as the most electric player of the match.[5](https://as.com/futbol/2018/11/27/champions/1543356585_486444.html)
His departure came in the context of the [Russian invasion of Ukraine](https://www.edgepedia.org/russian-invasion-of-ukraine) in 2022, after which FIFA introduced transfer measures for players in Ukraine and Shakhtar, with a large contingent of internationals, lost many members of its squad.[6](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Total-Football-Analysis-Magazine-73-October-2022.pdf) Taison had actually left in 2021, returning to Internacional on a free transfer in April 2021, where he played through 2022 before joining PAOK, also on a free transfer, in January 2023.[2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison)
**PAOK.** At PAOK he has been a regular into his late thirties. Across his first four seasons he recorded 50 matches with 8 goals and 13 assists in 2023/24, 42 matches with 7 goals in 2024/25, and 48 matches with 6 goals and 9 assists in 2025/26, and he won the Greek Super League 1 in 2023/24.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) In the 2025/26 [Super League](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-league) 1 season specifically he made 29 appearances with 6 goals and 6 assists.[7](https://theanalyst.com/players/15494/taison) In 2026/27, at age 38, he has continued to appear in the Super League, Europa League qualifying, Conference League qualifying, and the Greek Cup, with 11 matches and 1 assist by early October 2026.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1)
## International career
Taison earned 8 caps and scored 1 goal for Brazil between January 2016 and August 2018.[2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison) He was named in Brazil's squad for the 2018 World Cup.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1)
## Playing style
Listed as an attacker who plays mainly on the left wing but also on the right, Taison is right-footed and stands 172 cm tall.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) In the 2024/25 Super League season he completed 82.7 percent of his 675 successful passes, created 25 chances, and won 73.7 percent of his 14 tackles, numbers consistent with a wide forward who contributes in both build-up and defense.[2](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison)
## Date of birth discrepancy
Most sources, including oGol and Opta Analyst, give his date of birth as 1988, but Flashscore and FotMob list 13 January 1988.[1](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1) • [7](https://theanalyst.com/players/15494/taison) • [8](https://www.flashscore.com/player/taison/S0ed3YoR/) The two dates differ by four days and the sources do not resolve the conflict.
## References
1. [Taison, oGol (zerozero network)](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/taison/68145?search=1)
2. [Taison, stats, career and market value, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/players/130589/-taison)
3. [FC Shakhtar Annual Report 2013/14](https://shakhtar.com/en/club/annual-report/~/media/a5950aba7db349c6be6d015fb19effd3.ashx)
4. [FC Shakhtar Annual Report 2017/18](https://shakhtar.com/en/club/annual-report/~/media/14acce3410e7429fa8426012353e0fdc.ashx)
5. [Taison abre la puerta de octavos, AS.com (27 November 2018)](https://as.com/futbol/2018/11/27/champions/1543356585_486444.html)
6. [Total Football Analysis Magazine 73 (October 2022)](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Total-Football-Analysis-Magazine-73-October-2022.pdf)
7. [Taison, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/15494/taison)
8. [Taison (PAOK) stats, Flashscore](https://www.flashscore.com/player/taison/S0ed3YoR/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of South America › Brazilian men's footballers › Contemporary Brazilian footballers › Brazilian footballers born in the 1980s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license