He spent most of his career in Portugal, making 153 Primeira Liga appearances for Beira-Mar, Arouca, Moreirense and Aves and scoring 18 goals.
[3] On 5 July 2014, after one year in Hungary with Videoton FC where he scored eight goals from 35 competitive appearances, Petrolina signed a two-year contract with F.C.
[6] He played six games as they won the Taça de Portugal for the first time, and scored the only goal from the penalty spot as they defeated Caldas S.C. in the semi-final first leg on 28 February 2018.
[7] Petrolina left Portugal on 9 January 2019, when he signed for Pedro Emanuel's Al Taawoun FC of the Saudi Professional League.
[10] The 35-year-old announced his retirement in October,[11] only to return to his country with Sociedade Desportiva Juazeirense in February 2022.