Born in Rocha, Cardoso spent his early career in amateur football, broken cruciate ligaments since the age of 15 and missing two years of play at Huracán Buceo from 1997.
[1][2] In 2005–06 in the Uruguayan Primera División Cardoso was the top scorer with 17 goals, helping his team to the Apertura title before losing overall to Club Nacional de Football 6–1 on aggregate.
He received a million-dollar offer from a Japanese club managed by a Spaniard, but it fell through due to third parties; approaches from Ecuador after playing well there in the Copa Libertadores also collapsed.
[2] He once rejected a move to Boca Juniors of Argentina because he would have missed his mother's cooking, and in 2005 he was turned down by Peñarol manager Fernando Morena.
[5] Cardoso was called up to the Uruguay national football team in April 2006 for a friendly tour of the United States, Europe and Africa, at the start of Óscar Tabárez's second tenure as manager.