Career
Born in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Diego Cardoso joined Santos Football Club"s youth setup in 2007, aged 12. He soon earned plaudits for his performances with the under-20"s, being the club"s top goalscorer with nine goals. On 21 January 2014 Diego Cardoso made his first-team debut, coming on as a late substitute in a 1-1 away draw against Audax.
He scored his first goal on 9 March, the last of a 4–1 home routing over Oeste.
On 21 August 2015, after appearing rarely, Diego Cardoso was loaned to Bragantino until the end of the season. On 6 January of the following year he moved to fellow Série B team Vila Nova, in a one-year loan deal.
