Adriano was born in Fortaleza, Ceará, and made his debut as a senior with Ferroviário in 1992, in Série C. The following year he moved to neighbouring Sport, spending three full seasons in Série A.
Adriano moved abroad in the 1996 summer, signing for La Liga club Celta de Vigo. He made his debut in the competition on 8 December, coming on as a first half substitute in a 2–1 home win against Racing de Ferrol.
Despite appearing in 20 matches during his first year, Adriano returned to his homeland in 1997 after agreeing to a one-year loan deal at Fluminense. He returned to the Galicians in the following year, and appeared rarely before moving to Segunda División club SD Compostela in January 2000.[1]
Adriano returned to Brazil in 2005, and subsequently represented Vasco da Gama[2] and Santa Cruz, retiring with the latter in 2007 at the age of 34. In 2014, he returned to the latter, being appointed assistant manager.[3]