[1] Either a defensive midfielder or a central defender,[2] he played in three countries in his professional career, representing with team and individual success São Paulo, Lyon and Barcelona (four seasons each in the last two clubs).
In the ensuing off-season, Juninho Pernambucano also made the move to the Rhône-Alpes, and often partnered Edmílson in central midfield as they went on to win three consecutive Ligue 1 titles.
[8] After only a couple of months, however, he returned to his country, joining Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras on a two-year deal[9] and scoring his first goal in the first stage of the Copa Libertadores against Club Real Potosí, on 29 January 2009, just eight days after his arrival.
[10] After not having appeared in the São Paulo championship in 2010, Edmílson cut ties with Palmeiras and, on 31 January, returned to Spain, agreeing to a five-month contract with struggling Real Zaragoza – at that time, he was already the bearer of an Italian passport, thus not counting as a foreign player.
[14] Originally selected to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Edmílson was forced to withdraw from the squad after sustaining a knee injury in training before the tournament.