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Paulinho: Tottenham target is a fighter - Edu

Brazil midfielder Paulinho has joined Tottenham from Corinthians for a fee of just under £17m.

Paulinho, who starred in Brazil's Confederations Cup triumph, passed a medical before finalising his contract.

Paulinho factfile Full name: Jose Paulo Bezerra Maciel Junior Born: 25 July 1988 Brazil caps: 17 Brazil goals: 5

The 24-year-old arrived in London on Thursday and met Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas and chairman Daniel Levy.

"I am very happy and excited to have joined Spurs. It's a huge pleasure for my career to be at a club as big as Tottenham," Paulinho said.

Real Madrid also showed an interest in Paulinho, who has also played for Lithuanian side FC Vilnius and Polish club LKS Lodz.

Sao Paulo-born Paulinho scored 34 goals in 167 games for Corinthians and played in his country's 3-0 win over Spain in the Confederations Cup final.

He also played for Corinthians in their Club World Cup final win over Chelsea in December.

He has made a total of 17 appearances for Brazil and scored five times, including goals in their 3-0 Confederations Cup win against Japan and the 2-1 semi-final victory over Uruguay.

Earlier this month, when announcing he would leave Corinthians, Paulinho said: "What I have to say to Corinthians is 'see you soon'.

"Pretty soon I'll be back, owing to everything you have done for me."