Cruzeiro Born in
Barretos, São Paulo, Maicon started off his career with
Cruzeiro. He made his first-team debut on 6 May 2007, coming on as a second-half
substitute for fellow youth graduate
Wellington in a 2–0 home win against rivals
Atlético Mineiro in the second leg of the
Campeonato Mineiro finals, lost 4–2 on aggregate. In 2008, Maicon moved on loan to modest
Cabofriense. Upon returning, he was a part of Cruzeiro's
reserves that went on a trip to Portugal and played three
friendlies in the country. Maicon had his first abroad adventure in the
2008–09 campaign, being a defensive mainstay for
Madeira's
Nacional which again
qualified for
European competition.
Porto in 2013 On 4 June 2009, Maicon moved to
Primeira Liga champions
Porto in a contract running until 2014. He appeared in only four games in his
first year, starting with a 2–1 home victory over
Rio Ave on 29 November; on 24 April 2010, he scored a first goal in a 5–2 away defeat of
Vitória de Setúbal. After
Bruno Alves left for
Zenit, Maicon became a first-team regular in
2010–11, playing 37 competitive matches as Porto won
the treble (including eight in the
victorious run in the
UEFA Europa League). In the
following season – under new manager
Vítor Pereira – after
Cristian Săpunaru's injury, he beat competition from
Jorge Fucile and began being often utilised as a
right-back. On 2 March 2012, after a
free kick, Maicon headed a late goal in a 3–2 away win over
Benfica. He scored five goals from 35 appearances over two seasons, helping his team to back-to-back national championships; in October he was awarded the
Dragão de Ouro as the club's Player of the Year. Maicon made his only appearance for
the reserves in
Segunda Liga on 3 February 2013, and scored a free kick from his own half in the 3–1 home victory against
Oliveirense. He headed home the 2–1 winner over
Chelsea in the
group stage of the
UEFA Champions League on 29 September 2015, in what was his third competitive goal of
the campaign.
São Paulo On 14 February 2016, having been deemed surplus to requirements by new manager
José Peseiro, Maicon was loaned to
São Paulo; upon arriving, he stated that the move was "a dream come true". He made his debut in the
Campeonato Paulista on 1 March in a 2–0 home win against
Mogi Mirim. On 2 April, he missed a
penalty before scoring the last-minute winner in a 2–1 victory over
Oeste at the
Estádio do Morumbi. Maicon signed a permanent deal for
R$22 million on 28 June 2016, as Porto also ceded 50% of the sporting rights to fellow defenders Inácio and
Lucão.
Galatasaray In July 2017, Maicon returned to
European football, signing a four-year deal for
Galatasaray for a fee of €7 million. He scored a career-best five goals – all in the first half of the campaign – as the team from
Istanbul won the
Süper Lig in his
first season, including two on 30 September in a 3–2 home win against
Kardemir Karabükspor.
Al-Nassr On 5 February 2019,
Al-Nassr paid €1.7 million to gain Maicon on loan for 18 months; the
Saudi Pro League club paid a further €1.4 million to sign him permanently in August 2020. In the
2019 Saudi Super Cup on 4 January 2020, he scored the decisive attempt in the side's
shootout defeat of
Al Taawoun (1–1 after 120 minutes). Maicon joined permanently in 2020, but terminated his contract on 19 June 2021.
Return to Cruzeiro On 25 November 2021, Maicon returned to his first club Cruzeiro by agreeing to a three-year deal. However, a directorial change caused him to terminate his link after just three matches.
Santos in 2022 On 8 March 2022, immediately after leaving Cruzeiro, Maicon signed a two-year contract with
Santos. He made his debut on 5 April, starting in a 1–0
Copa Sudamericana away loss against
Banfield. A regular starter during the
2022 season, Maicon subsequently lost that status to new signings
Joaquim Henrique and
Messias. On 20 June 2023, he left after rescinding his contract.
Vasco da Gama On 28 June 2023, Maicon joined
Vasco da Gama on a short-term deal. In December, he agreed to a one-year extension. ==Personal life==