Jonas started his career in Brazil with Guarani, later joining Santos, Grêmio (Bola de Prata in 2010) and Portuguesa before moving to Spanish side Valencia in 2011.

[3] In 2007, he returned to the pitch and scored four goals in the Paulista, helping Santos win the tournament for the second time in a row.

[7] Despite not being able to avoid relegation to the Série B in 2008, Jonas was one of the best players in the team, scoring 18 goals during his stay, nine in the Campeonato Brasileiro, ahead of teammate Edno's eight.

He played in the 2009 Copa Libertadores, and after playing his worst game in the tournament (incredibly missing three chances to score in the same attack) against Boyacá Chicó he was dubbed "the worst forward of the world" ("el peor delantero del mundo") by Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.

[8][12] Due to a low release fee (€1.25 million), Jonas rescinded his contract with Grêmio,[13] where he was finally transferred to Spanish club Valencia on 24 January 2011.

[17] He fell just short of former Bayern Munich and Netherlands national team striker Roy Makaay's record of 10.13 seconds that he set against Real Madrid in the 2006–07 edition of the tournament.

[21] On 1 December 2013, Jonas hit an eight-minute hat-trick as Valencia defeated ten-man Osasuna in a home league match.

[45][46] On 16 February, he scored a last-minute goal with a header in the 91st minute to give Benfica a home win against Zenit Saint Petersburg (1–0) in the first leg of UEFA Champions League's round of 16.

[47] On 29 February, Jonas netted two goals against União da Madeira (2–0) in the Primeira Liga[48] and equalised Óscar Cardozo's scoring record at Benfica in the 2009–10 season.

[49] On 14 March 2016, Jonas scored twice against Tondela in a 4–1 home league win and became Benfica's top scorer in the 21st century, with 30 goals.

[63] On 26 November, he scored twice in a 6–0 home win over Vitória de Setúbal to pass 100 goals for Benfica, and also became only their second player after Julinho (1949–50) to net in ten consecutive league fixtures.

[66] He ended the season with 34 goals from 30 games in the league, finishing as top scorer for the second time, seven goals ahead of Sporting's Bas Dost; Benfica missed out on the league title to Porto, and Jonas missed several games towards the end of the season.

[67] On 3 November 2018 Jonas reached 100 Primeira Liga goals for Benfica, in the second minute of a home game against Moreirense that ended in a shock 3–1 loss.

[70] Jonas was called up for the Brazil national team for the first time and made his debut in a friendly against Scotland at the Emirates Stadium on 27 March 2011.

He replaced Ricardo Oliveira in the 80th minute of the match against Paraguay that ended with a 2–2 draw, in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

[75] Jonas was born in the city of Bebedouro and was raised in Taiúva, a neighbour municipality in the state of São Paulo.