Sporting CP Born in
Camacan,
Bahia, Neto started his career with Academia Catarinense de Futebol, a small club based in
Santa Catarina where he was spotted by
Sporting CP at the age of 16, going on to be part of the latter's junior teams that won three national championships in a row. Neto made his debut for the
Lions' main squad on 24 May 2009, featuring four minutes in a 3–1 home win over
C.D. Nacional after
replacing his compatriot
Derlei. His second
Primeira Liga appearance came one year later, against
Leixões SC (one minute played). After graduating from Sporting's academy, Neto was loaned to
Cercle Brugge K.S.V. in Belgium alongside teammate
Nuno Reis. In his
only full season in the
Pro League, he scored four goals in 36 matches (32 starts) as the side finished in ninth position. In late December 2011, as Sporting were facing an injury crisis in midfield, Neto was recalled by the club's manager
Domingos Paciência. He scored his only league goal on 22 April 2012, in the 3–2 victory at
C.D. Nacional where he was replaced at
half-time by
Stijn Schaars. Neto was loaned again in summer 2012, now to Hungary's
Videoton FC. He left for
K.A.A. Gent in the following
transfer window, also on loan.
Gent Gent acquired Neto on a permanent basis for the
2014–15 campaign. On 21 May 2015, through a
penalty kick, he was one of two players on target as his team defeated
Standard Liège 2–0 at home to be crowned champions for the first time in their history. Neto nearly completed a transfer to newly promoted
Premier League club
Brighton & Hove Albion in 2017, but failed a medical. He missed the entire
2017–18 due to a serious knee injury.
Later career On 20 May 2019, Neto joined
K.V. Oostende on a one-year contract. He then represented in quick succession
K.M.S.K. Deinze (Belgian
Challenger Pro League),
Sirens F.C. (
Maltese Premier League) and KSC Blankenberge, achieving promotion with the amateurs to the
Belgian Division 3 in
2023. ==Career statistics==