Born in
Rio de Janeiro, Felipe joined
Vasco da Gama at the age of six, for their
futsal team. He moved to the fields in 1990, aged 12, and made his first team debut on 3 November 1996, starting in a 2–1 win over
Botafogo. Felipe scored his first senior goal on 30 August 1997, in a 3–2 win over
Sport Recife. He became a regular starter in that year, being an important unit in Vasco's successful spell. In May 1999, Vasco sold Felipe to
Roma for a fee of
US$ 20 million, but manager
Fabio Capello refused the player. Roma tried to cancel the deal, but Vasco refused, and Felipe only received clearance to play for Vasco in September. Roma was later deemed to pay US$ 2 million to Vasco on compensation in 2002. In 2001, after spending a part of the previous season sidelined due to injury, Felipe was separated from the squad of the
Cruzmaltino after having altercations with the club's board, after considering himself underpaid. He was subsequently loaned to
Palmeiras to play in the
2001 FIFA Club World Championship, but was released in July, a few months after the tournament was cancelled. On 31 October 2001, Felipe moved to
Atlético Mineiro on loan for the remainder of the year. He returned to Vasco in January 2002, where he again became a starter. In 2002, Felipe moved abroad and joined Turkish side
Galatasaray, but rescinded his contract in November of that year, after featuring rarely. He signed for
Flamengo on 16 January 2003, after agreeing to a two-year deal. Felipe was an undisputed starter for
Fla in the 2004 campaign, being often deployed as a
right winger; despite winning the
2004 Campeonato Carioca, the club narrowly avoided relegation in the
2004 Série A. On 10 January 2005, he was presented at
Fluminense. Felipe struggled with injuries at
Flu, being also suspended for 120 days after assaulting a player from
Campinense during a
Copa do Brasil match. In October, after missing out two training days in the week and disagreeing with the subsequent fine, he had his contract rescinded. On 2 November 2005, Felipe moved to
Al Sadd in Qatar. He spent five seasons in
Middle East, winning several collective and individual accolades. On 9 June 2010, Felipe agreed to return to his first club Vasco, after his contract with Al Sadd was due to expire. An immediate starter, he had altercations with director
René Simões in the latter months of 2012, and had his contract rescinded by the director on 21 December of that year. On 19 January 2013, Felipe returned to Fluminense. Despite being regularly used, he was unable to establish himself as a starter, and left the club on 17 December. On 15 March 2014, after spending three months without a club, Felipe announced his retirement at the age of 36. ==International career==