1. Early Life and Youth Career
Rony was born on May 11, 1995, in Vila Quadros, a rural area within the city of Magalhães Barata, in the state of Pará, Brazil. His early life was marked by challenges, including a period where he worked as a motorcycle courier to support himself.
1.1. Career Beginnings
Rony started his football journey in the youth system of Remo. In 2013, he was released by the club, but his contract remained registered in the Brazilian Football Confederation's (CBF) system. This registration led to Remo recalling him to play in the 2014 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. Following his participation in the "Copinha," he was promoted to Remo's first team. He made his senior debut on March 26, 2014, scoring an equalizer in a 1-1 home draw against São Francisco-PA in the Campeonato Paraense. He continued to feature regularly that year, scoring two more goals as Remo went on to lift the Campeonato Paraense trophy. He also contributed to Remo winning the Campeonato Paraense again in 2015.
2. Club Career
Rony's professional club career has seen him play for several prominent Brazilian and a Japanese club, accumulating numerous titles and accolades.
2.1. Remo
Rony's time at Clube do Remo marked his entry into professional football. After being promoted to the senior team, he made an impactful debut by scoring an equalizer in the Campeonato Paraense. He was a key part of the team that won consecutive Campeonato Paraense titles in 2014 and 2015, establishing himself as a promising talent.
2.2. Cruzeiro and loan to Náutico
On April 22, 2015, Rony transferred to Cruzeiro on a three-year contract, with a rumored fee of 321.00 K BRL. At Cruzeiro, he primarily featured for the under-20 squad. To gain more first-team experience, he was loaned to Náutico on January 7, 2016. At Náutico, Rony became a first-choice player, scoring 11 goals in the 2016 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B and a total of 14 goals in 51 official matches. His strong performance contributed to Náutico finishing fifth in the 2016 Série B, though they narrowly missed promotion to the top flight.
2.3. Albirex Niigata
On January 9, 2017, Albirex Niigata of the J1 League announced Rony's signing from Cruzeiro for a fee of approximately 4.00 M BRL (around 140.00 M JPY at the time). He was noted for his agility and dribbling skills, becoming the third Brazilian addition to the team that winter. He made his debut in Japan on February 25, starting in a 1-1 away draw against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Rony scored his first goal on March 18 in a 1-1 draw against Yokohama F. Marinos. On May 20, he scored the only goal in a home match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, securing a victory in new coach Lopes Wagner's first game. In the 2017 J1 League season, Rony scored seven goals, becoming the team's top scorer, but Albirex Niigata was relegated to the J2 League at the end of the season.
2.3.1. Contract Disputes
Rony's departure from Albirex Niigata was fraught with complex contractual disputes. On January 11, 2018, Botafogo announced his signing on a two-year deal. However, just three days later, Albirex Niigata notified Cruzeiro, demanding Rony's return or a compensation fee of 10.00 M USD. The deal with Botafogo subsequently collapsed, and Rony terminated his contract with Cruzeiro on April 2. In April 2018, Rony also negotiated with Corinthians, but Albirex accused the player of abandonment, causing that deal to fall through as well. Rony eventually received clearance from FIFA to negotiate with other clubs in May 2018. Albirex Niigata formally deregistered him on September 14, 2018, and pursued legal action against FIFA.
2.4. Athletico Paranaense
After training with the club for nearly two months, Athletico Paranaense received FIFA clearance to sign Rony on August 31, 2018. He made an immediate impact, debuting two days later as a substitute and scoring his team's second goal in a 2-0 home win against Bahia. Rony established himself as a regular starter for Furacão during the 2019 season. He played a crucial role in the club's first-ever Copa do Brasil title in 2019 and was part of the squad that won the 2018 Copa Sudamericana and the 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship, where he scored in a 4-0 victory against Shonan Bellmare. Despite interest from major clubs like Palmeiras and Corinthians, he initially agreed to a new contract to stay until the end of 2023. However, on January 19, 2020, Rony refused a renewal offer and was subsequently separated from the first-team squad.
2.5. Palmeiras
On February 21, 2020, Rony joined Palmeiras on a contract lasting until 2024. He made his debut for the club eight days later, replacing Luiz Adriano in a goalless draw against Santos in the Campeonato Paulista. His first goal for Verdão came on October 1, 2020, in a 5-0 home victory over Bolívar in the 2020 Copa Libertadores. Rony became a vital player in Palmeiras' successful campaigns, notably contributing eight assists and five goals in their 2020 Copa Libertadores title run, including an assist to Breno Lopes' winning goal in the final against Santos.
He continued his impressive form, renewing his contract for an additional year on June 26, 2021. In April 2022, after scoring against Emelec, Rony reached 13 goals for the club in the Copa Libertadores, surpassing Alex to become Palmeiras' all-time leading scorer in the competition. On October 12, 2022, he extended his contract with Palmeiras until 2026, also receiving a pay rise. During his highly successful spell with Palmeiras, Rony won numerous titles, including two Copa Libertadores (2020, 2021), two Copa do Brasil (2020), four Campeonato Paulista (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), the Recopa Sudamericana (2022), and two Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (2022, 2023). He was also part of the team that finished as runner-up in the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup and won the 2023 Supercopa do Brasil.
2.6. Atlético Mineiro
On February 14, 2025, Rony transferred to Atlético Mineiro on a deal set to run until December 2027.
3. Playing Style
Rony is primarily known as a versatile forward with exceptional speed and a powerful middle shot. He effectively operates as a wing-half, center forward, or second striker, utilizing his speed to make incisive runs and create scoring opportunities. Beyond his offensive prowess, Rony is recognized for his strong defensive work rate, actively participating in the team's press from the front. His decision-making in critical moments is considered first-class, and he consistently demonstrates a high level of finishing ability, evident in his 6 goals from 10 appearances in the 2021 Copa Libertadores, where he was the tournament's top scorer. Rony stands at 66 in (167 cm) and weighs 143 lb (65 kg).
4. International Career
Rony's impressive club performances led to his first call-up to the Brazil national team on March 3, 2023, by interim head coach Ramon Menezes. He made his full international debut on March 25, 2023, starting in a friendly match against Morocco at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier, which Brazil lost 2-1.
5. Career Statistics
5.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Remo | 2014 | Série D | 10 | 1 | 10 | 3 | - | - | - | 20 | 4 | |||
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 5 | 2 | 11 | 2 | |||
| Subtotal | 10 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 5 | 2 | 31 | 6 | |||
| Náutico | 2016 | Série B | 35 | 11 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 51 | 14 | |
| Albirex Niigata | 2017 | J1 League | 32 | 7 | - | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 0 | 36 | 8 | ||
| Athletico Paranaense | 2018 | Série A | 15 | 3 | - | - | 8 | 1 | - | 23 | 4 | |||
| 2019 | 30 | 6 | - | 8 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 49 | 9 | |||
| 2020 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Subtotal | 45 | 9 | - | 8 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 73 | 13 | |||
| Palmeiras | 2020 | Série A | 23 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 11 |
| 2021 | 25 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 12 | ||
| 2022 | 33 | 12 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 23 | ||
| 2023 | 30 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 14 | ||
| 2024 | 35 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 63 | 10 | ||
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |||
| Subtotal | 146 | 39 | 58 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 49 | 23 | 11 | 1 | 284 | 70 | ||
| Career total | 268 | 67 | 86 | 11 | 34 | 5 | 65 | 24 | 22 | 4 | 475 | 111 | ||
5.2. International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2023 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
6. Honours
6.1. Club
; Remo
- Campeonato Paraense: 2014, 2015
; Athletico Paranaense
- Copa do Brasil: 2019
- Copa Sudamericana: 2018
- J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship: 2019
; Palmeiras
- Copa do Brasil: 2020
- Campeonato Paulista: 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Copa Libertadores: 2020, 2021
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2022
- Campeonato Brasileiro: 2022, 2023
- Supercopa do Brasil: 2023
- FIFA Club World Cup Runner Up: 2021
6.2. Individual
- Copa Libertadores Dream Team: 2020, 2021
- Copa do Brasil Team of the Final: 2019, 2020
- South American Team of the Year: 2020
- Best Forward in Brazil: 2022
- Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year: 2021, 2023