Londrina Born in
Nkongsamba, Joel moved to Brazil in September 2009, joining
Iraty's youth setup. In March 2011 he moved to neighbouring
Londrina (which also had the same owner, Sérgio Malucelli), and was promoted to the first-team in 2012, after impressing in the youth squads. Joel made his first-team debut on 28 March 2012, coming on as a late
substitute in a 0–1 away loss against
Coritiba, for the
Campeonato Paranaense championship. He scored his first goal four days later, netting his side's only in a 1–1 home draw against
Toledo Colônia Work. In the 2014 season, Joel played an important role in Londrina's Paranaense winning campaign, and also scored regularly for the side in
Série D. On 31 July 2014, he scored a brace in a 2–1 home success against
Santos, for
the campaign's
Copa do Brasil.
Coritiba (loan) On 4 September 2014, Joel was loaned to Coritiba for the remainder of
the season, being subsequently negotiated with a German unnamed team. He made his
Série A debut three days later, again from the bench in a 0–0 away draw against
Bahia. Joel scored his first goal in the Brazilian top flight on 10 September, netting the last of a 3–0 home success against
Chapecoense. Seven days later he scored a brace in a 3–1 home win against
São Paulo, but fell into a hole into the locker room tunnel after going out to celebrate the last goal.
Cruzeiro On 16 December 2014, Joel moved to fellow league team
Cruzeiro, for a
R$2.5 million fee. He made his debut for the club on 1 February of the following year, scoring the winner in an away success over
Democrata-GV. Joel was bought outright by
Raposa in May 2015. However, he struggled with injuries during
the campaign, and appeared in only 11 league matches, scoring one goal.
Loan spells in 2016 On 11 January 2016, Joel was loaned to fellow league team Santos, for one year. He made his debut for the club on 30 January, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–1
Campeonato Paulista home draw against
São Bernardo. On 19 January 2017, Joel signed a one-year loan contract with
Botafogo. On 20 June 2017, Joel signed a loan contract until the end of the year with
Avaí. On 8 January 2018, Joel was sent on a season-long loan to Portuguese
Primeira Liga club
Marítimo.
Return In June 2019 he suffered a heart problem. In October 2019, Joel rejoined Cruzeiro and started to train with the team squad.
Marítimo On 7 August 2020, Joel signed a two-year contract with Marítimo.
Al-Hazem On 18 January 2023, Joel joined Saudi club
Al-Hazem on loan.
Hanoi FC On 11 September 2023,
V.League 1 side
Hanoi FC confirmed they had signed Joel for a reported transfer fee of €800,000. Joel made his debut for Hanoi in the
AFC Champions League against
Pohang Steelers on 20 September, where he scored a brace. On 29 October, he made his V.League 1 debut and scored a hat-trick against
Haiphong FC.
Nacional On 1 January 2025, Joel joined
Liga Portugal side
Nacional on a free transfer from
Paysandu a team that competes in the
Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. He made his debut for Nacional on 19 January 2025 at the 46th minute for
Isaac against
AVS ==International career==