Fernandão first played for Goiás, before moving to France to play for Olympique de Marseille. While playing for Marseille, he was loaned to Toulouse. He later returned to Brazil to play for Internacional from 2004 until 2008. He soon played in Qatar for Al-Gharafa. In 2009, he returned to Goiás for a season. He played his final season for São Paulo in 2010/11. He also played for the national team for one match in 2005. For four months in 2012, he coached Internacional with very little success.