 In a club career which spanned from 1974 to 1993, Carlos played for Ponte Preta, Corinthians, Atlético Mineiro, Guarani, Palmeiras, Portuguesa and Malatyaspor (1988–1990) in Turkey.He won two Brazilian Silver Ball Awards.At international level, Carlos played 37 matches for the Brazilian national team, between June 1980 and June 1993, and was selected for the 1978, 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cup tournaments, playing in the latter edition of the competition.