Mota began his career with Ceará Sporting Club in 1998, then went to play for Spanish side RCD Mallorca B from 1999 to 2001.
[1] He was banned for a year by Spain's Court of Sport, which found that he obtained the passport illegally in 1998.
[2] Mota then went back to Brazil and played for Cruzeiro Esporte Clube scoring 32 goals in the league.
However, he suffered from a broken left ankle in the match against Gyeongnam FC in 2006, which forced him to be out of the pitch for several months.
In January 2012, Mota signed with Ceará Sporting Club, where he played for the third time in his career.