In 2004, he transferred from São José to Swedish club Kalmar FF who the previous season was promoted from Superettan finishing 1st, and was about to play in Allsvenskan.

Copenhagen chairman Flemming Østergaard promised that the club would get the best squad in the league,[5] but as the window headed towards the end F.C.

As César Santin was signed at the end of the window, many people became sceptic and thought of him as being a panicky transfer, however, after some good performances and a goal in his fourth game for the club against Lillestrøm SK[6] and fifth game against league rivals FC Midtjylland[7] he quickly became a fan favourite, and is now considered one of the most essential parts of the Copenhagen offensive play.

On 6 November 2008, César Santin scored his second goal in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup group stage when he from close range equalized Valencia CF's 1–0 lead and the match ended in a draw.

The 2010–11 season was so far the most successful for Santin, as he was part of the historical side, that managed to progress from the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, before being knocked out by Chelsea F.C.

Santin scored his only goal in the European competitions that season against Hannover 96 at AWD-Arena, in Copenhagen's 2–2 draw for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.

He managed to appear in 14 matches and scored 5 goals in all competitions, before he move to Cyprus and sign a contract with APOEL in December 2013.

[10] He made his debut on 4 January 2014, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute in APOEL's 2–2 home draw against AEL Limassol for the Cypriot First Division.

[11][12] He scored his first official goal for APOEL on 19 January 2014, in his team's 3–1 home win against Nea Salamina for the Cypriot First Division.

[15][16] Ten days later, Santin also won the Cypriot First Division after APOEL's 1–0 away victory against AEL Limassol in the title deciding match of the competition.