Born in São Paulo and raised in Mogi das Cruzes, Felipe trialled at Sport Club Corinthians Paulista at the age of 14 but was released.

[4] With only 88 minutes of football to his name in his first year for Corinthians, he was a surprise inclusion for the squad chosen by manager Tite for the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

He scored his first goal in the competition on 26 July in a 1–1 draw at Coritiba Foot Ball Club,[5] and on 9 August he was sent off in a game of the same result at city rivals São Paulo FC.

[10] In 2017–18, Porto won the league and Felipe was one of five club players named in the Team of the Year, alongside his fellow defenders Alex Telles and Ricardo Pereira.

[16] He scored his first goal for the club in 2–0 UEFA Champions League last matchday win against FC Lokomotiv Moscow on 11 December, qualifying his team to the knockout phase.

[24] Felipe was called up to Brazil's squad by coach Dunga for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Paraguay in March 2016, to replace the suspended David Luiz.

[27] He was included in the squad for the 2021 Copa América on home soil,[28] but left the team, which finished runners-up, due to a right knee sprain.

[29] Felipe was naturalised as a Spanish citizen in April 2022, which freed up a space for a non-European Union player at Atlético Madrid.