 In July 2008, Carlão was transferred from Corinthians to the French Ligue 1 side FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, after completing a deal worth €800,000.He played for Sochaux from 2008 until 2014, appearing in 128 matches and scoring 1 goal.On 19 June 2014, after six French Ligue 1 seasons, he signed a two-year contract with APOEL from Cyprus.