Gali Freitas


Paulo Domingos Gali da Costa Freitas is a Timorese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Super League club Persebaya Surabaya and the Timor-Leste national team. Nicknamed The Eternal Wonderkid, he is a player with the longest youth career, debuting for the national team at the age of 13.

Club career

On 2 June 2023, Gali joined Indonesian club PSIS Semarang, signing a one season contract. On 3 July 2023, he scored a goal in his debut against Bhayangkara at the Jatidiri Stadium, Semarang.
On 12 February 2024, his contract was extended for two seasons, until 2026.

International career

On 1 September 2018, Gali made his debut for the senior team in a 2018 AFF Championship qualification game against Brunei in the first-leg in a 3–1 win. On 27 January 2022, Gali scored his debut goal for the senior team in a friendly match against Indonesia.

Controversy

In 2019 Timor Leste's under 15 team for the 2019 AFF U-15 Championship were accused of fielding overage players at the tournament, with team captain Gali Freitas being one of the prominent players accused of being over age with claims that he was at least 22 years old at the time. These protests lead to a formal investigation by the ASEAN Football Federation into the incident. The protests however were later dismissed with Gali being deemed to be eligible to participate in the tournament.

Career statistics

Club

International

International senior goals
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.27 January 2022Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar Regency, Indonesia1–01–4Friendly
2.8 October 2024Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei1–01–02024 ASEAN Championship qualification
3.9 October 2025Territory [Rugby League Stadium], Darwin, Australia1–21–42027 [AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round|2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification]

Honours

Lalenok United
Individual