 Born in Ipirá, Bahia, Zé Carlos received the nickname "Zé do Gol" (Zé of the Goal) while playing at Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas.There, he was champion of the 1997 "Campeonato Carioca" and the "Torneio Rio-São Paulo" in the following year.In January 2002 he left for Turkish club Malatyaspor and, the next year, moved back to Brazil, for Clube de Regatas do Flamengo also in Rio de Janeiro.