[1] Diego was born in Porto Alegre to former footballer Assis, the brother of Brazilian international Ronaldinho.
[2] At the age of five, Diego joined professional club Grêmio, the same team his father and uncle had started at.
[2] He decided to stay on at the club after his uncle, Ronaldinho, had unceremoniously left in 2001 for French side Paris Saint-Germain, but the transfer eventually impacted Diego, with fans picking him out for abuse in games and on the street.
[5] In 2012, following a short spell with Porto Alegre, the club his father owns, he joined the academy of Flamengo, where Ronaldinho was playing at the time.
[10] Following a serious back injury in early 2013, Diego was side-lined for the entire year, and ahead of the 2014 season, he joined Cruzeiro-RS.