Education
Born in Goiânia, Goiás, Jefferson finished his formation with Associação Atlética Ponte Preta.
Born in Goiânia, Goiás, Jefferson finished his formation with Associação Atlética Ponte Preta.
Early years / Portugal
He made his senior debut in Portugal, starting out with third division club G.D. Ribeirão. In the January 2014 transfer window, Jefferson signed with Communicative Disorders Santa Clara in the Segunda Liga. He played his first match as a professional on 16 March, starting but being booked and replaced in the 31st minute of an eventual 1–3 away loss against F.C. Penafiel, as he risked being sent official
Jefferson continued playing in that level in the following seasons, with Leixões South Carolina (U.S.) and Communicative Disorders Feirense.
He annulled his one-year contract with the former side in June 2014, claiming personal reasons. Hajduk Split
During his spell in Portugal, Jefferson was scouted by the director of football of HNK Hajduk Split, Goran Vučević.
He joined the Croatian team in June 2015, but was unable to sign or train with them until his contract with Feirense ran out, making him miss out on training camp in Slovenia and Austria. He made his competitive debut on 12 July, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw at GNK Dinamo Zagreb, gathering praise from the media for his performance and being named Manitoba of the match by Jutarnji list for his role in neutralizing opposing player Ante Ćorić.
