In 2012, he joined Russian Premier League side Zenit Saint Petersburg for €60 million, winning all three domestic honours and being named the competition's best player and being top scorer, once each.

[3] He is strongly built for a footballer and acquired his nickname due to his likeness to actor Lou Ferrigno, who played the Incredible Hulk on the eponymous television series in the 1970s.

[5] While progressing through the Esporte Clube Vitória's youth system, Hulk played in a left winger, midfielder, forward and fullback.

[6] Despite having been purchased on 15 January 2006,[7] Hulk was loaned to second division Consadole Sapporo, effective on 1 February,[7] where he played all the 2006 season and scored 25 goals, one less than the top scorer.

After Hulk's stay in Japan, he moved to Portugal to join defending champions Porto,[11] who purchased 50% of his playing rights for €5.5 million from Uruguayan side Rentistas,[12] with the transfer fee being received by an unnamed investor.

When Moroccan teammate Tarik Sektioui suffered an injury, Hulk was given an opportunity to play forward and scored his first official domestic league goal for Porto in a 2–0 home win against C.F.

On 7 April 2012, Hulk scored the solitary goal as Porto defeated S.C. Braga away to go four points clear at the top of the Primeira Liga table.

[29] This transfer fee caused a lot of debate and a great stir since Mitrofanov, General director from Zenit denied publicly.

[33] Hulk scored his first goal for his new club in only his second league match, against FC Krylia Sovetov Samara, finding the net with a trademark shot from outside the box in a 2–2 away draw.

[34] In the second half of September, media speculation reported that teammates Igor Denisov and Aleksandr Kerzhakov were unsatisfied with Hulk's wage, and that they demanded renegotiation of their contracts.

A few weeks later, he scored his first Champions League goal for Zenit and provided an assist in a 3–2 loss against A.C. Milan in the second matchday of group stage.

[44] On 30 June 2016, Hulk joined Chinese club Shanghai SIPG from Zenit for a reported £45 million, an Asian football record.

[60] On 2 December, when Atlético played for the league title and was 2–0 down against Bahia at the Fonte Nova arena, Hulk kick-started a comeback by scoring from a penalty; five minutes later, a brace from Keno snatched the three points that secured the 2021 Série A trophy to Galo.

[61] In the following match, a 4–3 win over Red Bull Bragantino at the Mineirão, Hulk scored his 19th goal in 35 appearances, ending the league season as top scorer.

[62] Hulk appeared in all ten matches of Atlético's Copa do Brasil-winning campaign, scoring once in eight of them, including both legs of the final against Athletico Paranaense.

[65] His central role in Atlético's domestic treble-winning season earned him the Bola de Ouro, Craque do Brasileirão and Copa do Brasil Golden Ball awards.

[73] In July, he was named as one of three overaged players for Mano Menezes' Brazilian squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London,[74] and he appeared in all but one of the matches during the tournament, netting in the 1–2 final loss against Mexico.

He played in every match as the team's starting right-winger, including the final, where Brazil defeated world champions Spain to win its fourth Confederations Cup title.

[76] Hulk was called up for the Copa América Centenario in 2016, making one appearance as a substitute in Brazil's group stage campaign.

In August 2021, Hulk received his first call up to the national team in five years for 2022 World Cup qualifiers; he appeared as a substitute in a 2–0 win over Peru on 9 September.