Santos Born in
São Bernardo do Campo, Carleto joined
Santos' youth setup in 2000, aged ten. On 11 April 2007, he made his first team debut by coming on as a
substitute for fellow youth graduate
Dionísio in a 2–0
Campeonato Paulista home win against
Juventus-SP. Back to the under-20s for the remainder of the year, Carleto only featured in one further match for the main squad: a 1–1
Série A home draw against
Palmeiras on 13 October 2007. The following 25 January, after impressing in the year's
Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, he was definitely promoted to the main squad. Carleto was a regular starter during the 2008
Paulistão, overcoming longtime incumbent
Kléber.
Valencia On 26 November 2008, Carleto agreed to a five-and-a-half-year contract with
La Liga side
Valencia CF. He only made his debut abroad the following 14 February, replacing injured
Emiliano Moretti in a 1–1
La Liga home draw against
Málaga CF. On 20 August 2009, Carleto was loaned to
Segunda División side
Elche CF for
the season. He scored his first professional goal on 13 September, netting his team's first in a 2–2 draw at
UD Salamanca.
São Paulo and loans On 18 February 2010, Carleto returned to his home country after agreeing to a four-year contract with
São Paulo. He made his debut for the club on 14 March, in a 2–1 defeat of
Rio Branco, for the year's
Paulistão. After struggling with injuries during his first year, Carleto was loaned to
Paraguayan Primera División side
Olimpia for the 2011 season. After four months with unpaid wages, he terminated his link and joined
América Mineiro on 6 May 2011, also in a temporary deal. Carleto scored his first goal in the Brazilian top tier on 22 October 2011, netting the opener in a 2–2 home draw against
Grêmio, and finished the season with two goals in 15 appearances, as his side
suffered relegation. The following 11 January, he agreed to a one-year loan deal at
Fluminense. A backup to
Carlinhos, he appeared rarely as
Flu was crowned champions. Returning to
Tricolor ahead of the 2013 campaign, Carleto overcame
Bruno Cortez and
Reinaldo, becoming a regular starter until suffering a
knee injury in June. Upon returning, he served subsequent loans at
Ponte Preta (where he had his deal terminated due to indiscipline problems),
Avaí,
Botafogo and
XV de Piracicaba.
Arouca / Linense On 10 August 2016, Portuguese side
FC Arouca signed Carleto on a two-year deal. On 31 October, after only four matches, he rescinded his contract by alleging "personal problems". On 22 December 2016, Carleto joined
Linense, being a regular starter as his side reached the quarterfinals and qualified to the
Série D.
Coritiba On 15 May 2017, Carleto returned to the top tier after agreeing to a one-year contract with
Coritiba. Initially a backup to
William Matheus, he became an undisputed starter for
Coxa during the year, being praised for his performances and winning the
Bola de Prata despite his club suffering relegation.
Atlético Paranaense / Al-Ittihad On 10 January 2018, Coritiba's fierce rivals
Atlético Paranaense announced the signing of Carleto on a two-year deal. Initially a first-choice, he lost the status after the upswing of youth graduate
Renan Lodi. On 18 July 2018, Carleto moved to Saudi club
Al-Ittihad, for a rumoured fee of
€ 1 million. The following 14 January, he terminated his contract.
Ceará / Vitória On 16 February 2019, Carleto joined
Ceará on a one-year deal. On 1 October, he signed a short-term contract with
Vitória, after cutting ties with Ceará.
Retirement After a brief spell at
Clube Atlético Juventus in 2022, he announced his retirement in April 2023. ==Career statistics==