Viola is famous for his strong personality on the pitch and great appearances in many teams he has played for throughout his long career. His first great appearance was in his second match, in the final game of the 1988 Campeonato Paulista (1st Division Championship of São Paulo State) between
Corinthians and
Guarani, regarded by the press as having a better team. Viola was called just because the main Corinthians forward,
Edmar, was called by the
Brazil national football team and then sold to
Pescara – and because his main substitute, Marcos Roberto, was with a broken arm. Viola was not having a great offensive exhibition, but could score the title goal in the extra time – by putting his leg in the way of a lopsided shot from Wilson Mano, turning it into an assist. In mid-2003, back to Brazil, Viola would defend many other teams, alternating them with some
showbol matches, and even a
reality television show participation by 2010. His last coming back trial was in Taboão da Serra in 2015. ==Career statistics==