A defensive midfielder known for his leadership, he was the captain of the Santos team, dubbed Meninos da Vila, that won the 2002 Brasileirão, their first since 1968.
Born in Itarantim, Bahia, Almeida career started in the regional futsal leagues, eventually leading to a seven-month spell at Cruzeiro in 1997.
[2] At age 20, he was named captain and in the following year, Almeida and others like Diego, Robinho, Renato and Elano, known as Meninos da Vila, helped Santos win their first Brasileirão since 1968.
[6] He was offered back to Santos in an unsuccessful bid from Benfica to Robinho,[7][8] and as the season progressed, he slipped down the pecking order and was demoted to the reserve team.
[9][10] After not finding a team in the summer of 2005, Almeida remained with the B-team and competed in the third tier, until he opted to terminate his contract with Benfica in April 2006.
[24] Almeida played with teammates, Robinho and Diego, plus others like Kaká and Nilmar, with Brazil reaching the final, where they lost one-nil with Mexico.