In 1990, he received an invitation of manager Jaime Braga to join Industrial Esporte Clube, which played in the Campeonato Capixaba, where he became a professional footballer.

A year later, he moved to Tanabi in the Paulista A2, with his performances attracting attention of larger clubs in the São Paulo region, first Guarani in 1992, and latter Palmeiras in 1993, momentarily breaking the Série A transfer record, being surpass two weeks later by Edmundo.

[1] At Palmeiras, Edilson played alongside Edmundo, Zinho, Roberto Carlos, Mazinho, César Sampaio, in a team that won two consecutive league titles, in 1993 and 1994, plus two Campeonato Paulista and the Torneio Rio – São Paulo.

[2] Although Artur Jorge only made him a regular starter from December onwards, Edilson still finished the 1994–95 season as the club top scorer, with 17 goals.

[4] He remained a goalscorer, and partnered with Marcelinho Carioca, and latter Luizão; he helped the team win the league title in 1998 and 1999, adding accolades for Bola de Ouro in the first of those years.

However, his spell at the club ended only a few weeks later, after a semi-final loss to Palmeiras in the Copa Libertadores, fans stormed the training session and started a brawl.

Faced with late salaries, Edílson moved to United Arab Emirates, joining Al Ain, where he won local Cup tournament, and helped the club finish second in the 2004–05 UAE Football League.