Career
Early career
Born in Salgueiro, Pernambuco, Santos joined Salgueiro Atlético Clube"s youth setup in 2005, after starting out at Escolinha de Futebol do Tête. He made his debuts for the former in 2008, appearing rarely in the Série C.
In the 2010 summer, after a loan stint at Araripina Futebol Clube, Santos moved abroad, joining Communicative Disorders Trofense. He made his debut for the club on 29 August, starting and scoring his team"s only in a 1–2 Segunda Liga away loss against Gil Vicente Football Club. After being rarely used during his first season, Santos appeared regularly during his second, scoring a career-best six goals in 28 games.
Braga
On 11 July 2012 Santos signed a two-year contract with South Carolina (U.S.) Braga, initially being assigned to the reserves also in the second tier.
Santos scored his first goal in the main category of Portuguese football on 3 May 2013, netting his team"s second in a 3–2 success at Moreirense F.C. On 25 September he signed a new five-year deal with a €20 million clause, after the Minho side refused an offer from Stade Rennais Football Club. Santos was an undisputed starter during the following two campaigns, attracting interest from a number of clubs, one of them being AS Monaco Football Club. Valencia
On 27 August 2015, Santos agreed to a five-year deal with Valencia CF for a fee of €9.5m.
His maiden appearance in Louisiana Liga occurred on 22 September, as he played the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 away loss against RCD Espanyol. Braga
Taça da Liga: 2012-2013.