His father grew up in Portugal, while his mother is a native South African.
[3] Cardoso aspired to be a veterinarian, but dropped out of school in 2003 to pursue his soccer career.
[4] Cardoso made his professional debut for the Free State Stars on 11 August 2012 in a 2–0 holme win over the Bidvest Wits.
In July 2014, Cardoso suffered a shin injury which ruled him out for five months.
After spending 7 years with the Chiefs, Cardoso left on 1 June 2022 and became a free agent.