Career
He spent most of his 16-year professional career in Portugal (one full decade), having represented all three most important clubs in the country and amassing top division totals of 187 games and 70 goals. Born in São Paulo Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Derlei started playing in the lower levels of football in Brazil, but joined Portugal"s U.D. Leiria in 1999, going on to appear in 91 top division games with the club and score 42 goals. In his last season, as Leiria overachieved for a final seventh place led by young manager José Mourinho, he netted 21 times.
Derlei joined Football Club in the summer of 2002, playing an important part in a successful squad that was also managed by Mourinho.
In January 2005, after disciplinary problems related to his lateness in arriving from the winter break, Derlei was sold to Football Club Dynamo Moscow for €7 million, being granted Portuguese citizenship shortly thereafter. After two years of Russian football where he was always one of the top five best goalscorers, Derlei joined South.L. Benfica on loan in January 2007.
On 2 February he played his first league match for the Eagles, a 0–0 home draw against Boavista Football Club. He would, however, spend most of 2007-2008 on the sidelines, with another serious knee injury. In his second season Derlei fought with Hélder Postiga for a chance to play alongside Liédson, and scored some goals, including an important one in a 1–0 home triumph over Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, which sealed "s group stage qualification on 4 November 2008.
At the end of the campaign he refused to accept the club"s offer to renew the link, on the grounds the figures offered were not convincing, thus being made a free agent.
After some consideration, 34-year-old Derlei joined Esporte Clube Vitória on 27 August 2009, in a one-year deal. Shortly after he switched to modest Madureira Esporte Clube, returning to a team he had represented more than one decade ago. Club Individual.