He spent most of his professional career with Sporting in Portugal, appearing in 327 official games (four goals) and winning four major titles.

Groomed at Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Polga was born in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul, being an important defensive unit from early on and helping the club to two trophies in 2001: the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship and the Brazilian Cup.

Polga quickly became a defensive stalwart for the Lisbon-based side, helping them to the UEFA Cup final in his third year – after a run-in with coach José Peseiro,[2] he was an unused substitute in the decisive game, a 3–1 defeat against CSKA Moscow[3]– as well as to four consecutive Primeira Liga runner-up finishes.

Not prone to score, Polga netted his first two goals for the Lions in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, in both group stage matches against Dynamo Kyiv.

[8] Polga made his debut for Brazil in 2002 against Bolivia, being subsequently summoned for that year's FIFA World Cup.