A prolific goalscorer at the club level, he was best known for his spells with Lyon, Monaco (he played most of his abroad career in France, amassing Ligue 1 totals of 221 matches and 138 goals) and Barcelona.

Anderson's first abroad experience came with Servette FC, and his impact was instant, scoring 18 goals in his first season then helping the club to the national league in the following by netting 11 in just the first half of the campaign, as he left in January 1994 to Olympique de Marseille.

After six months, with L'OM relegated due to a bribery scandal, Anderson moved to fellow Division 1 side AS Monaco FC, scoring at an equally impressive pace and winning team (1997 league) and individual accolades alike.

In 1997, Anderson joined FC Barcelona: having to battle for first-choice status with the likes of Luis Enrique and Patrick Kluivert, he fared well, scoring ten times in La Liga alone in his first season, as the Catalans won the double.

[1] In his second year, which included some run-ins with manager Louis van Gaal,[2][3] he played less, which prompted a return to France with rising Olympique Lyonnais, for approximately €18 million.