She previously played for Tyresö and Umeå IK of the Swedish Damallsvenskan, as well as Saint Louis Athletica in the American Women's Professional Soccer (WPS).

[8] She was selected for the 2004 Athens Olympics[9] and played in the 2–1 overtime final defeat by the United States, as Brazil collected silver medals.

At the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China, Elaine featured in Brazil's striking 4–0 semi-final win over the United States and the 2–0 final defeat by Germany.

[12] She was removed from the national team squad two days before the start of the London 2012 Olympics when magnetic resonance imaging revealed a muscle injury.

[16][17] On 4 February 2021, Elaine reported security guards in Gullmarsplan of Stockholm to police after allegedly being beaten by them and suffering injuries, including a concussion, while attempting to reach the subway on her way home.