Born in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Wágner started his career at América Mineiro, where he shone along with Fred, an international Brazilian player, who, coincidentally, is again Wagner's colleague in Fluminense FC.

Cruzeiro sold Wágner to Al-Ittihad after a transfer fee of around €9 million in January 2007, but a clause in his contract allowed him to come back to Cruzeiro in June 2007 after Al-Ittihad could not finish paying his transfer fee.

On 7 August 2009 Championat.ru confirmed that Lokomotiv Moscow had acquired the Brazilian player, for 6 million euros.

[2] After a feud with Gaziantepspor manager Abdullah Ercan, Wágner's contract was terminated by a mutual agreement.

Despite playing all of the 2006 season as an offensive midfielder, he led the Campeonato Brasileiro, in its early stages, with eight goals in ten games.