Born in Santos, São Paulo, Santana played as a midfielder and retired in 2010, aged 28, after suffering a hand injury while representing Confiança.
[5] On 5 November of that year, he was presented as manager of the under-20 squad of São Carlos for the ensuing Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior;[6] the following 8 February, he replaced fired Roberto Oliveira as manager of the main squad,[7] acting as an interim until the end of the competition and suffering relegation.
On 29 October 2020, Santana replaced fired Jorginho at the helm of Coritiba in the top tier.
[23] However, on the next day, the signing was cancelled due to Santana being linked to anti-democratic acts related to the 2022 Brazilian general election.
[25] He returned to his home country on 9 December, after being appointed in charge of Série C newcomers Athletic-MG,[26] but left on a mutual agreement the following 5 March.