He is considered to be one of the greatest players to play the sport, FIFA.com describing his career as "incomparable" upon his retirement;[13] Swiss coach Angelo Schirinzi named him as part of his all-time beach soccer dream team in 2021.

However, he made he debut as a senior pro for América Mineiro, in 1985, for whom he played until 1988 when he then moved on to spend a series short spells with other clubs in multiple countries.

He was first appointed in late 2012 as successor to Guga Zloccowick,[5][22] amid a time of chaos and confusion regarding the rightful governing body of the sport in Brazil.

[26][27] However, his removal was short-lived; upon the governance disputes finally being resolved in June 2015, Júnior Negão was immediately reinstated as head coach by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).

[30] Despite these results, he was responsible for bringing into the squad now celebrated talents such as Bruno Xavier,[31] Mauricinho[32] and Lucão,[33] and in his role as technical coordinator, he helped steer the team to a fifth World Cup title in 2017.