Born in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Ferreira began his career with hometown side XV de Piracicaba. After a quick spell at Guarani as a performance analyst, he joined São Paulo's youth sides in 1995. In 2000, after spending three years with the youth teams, Ferreira was named assistant manager of Internacional; in 2002, he was named interim after the dismissal of Ivo Wortmann. He won that year's Campeonato Gaúcho and was permanently appointed as manager on 4 June 2002, but was still sacked on 26 August. On 15 May 2003, Ferreira was appointed manager of Noroeste. The following 17 August he moved abroad, joining Segunda Liga side F.C. Penafiel. On 4 February 2004, Ferreira was dismissed. On 29 August, he was appointed at the helm of Associação Naval 1º de Maio, but was relieved from his duties on 12 September. In 2005 Ferreira returned to Brazil, being appointed at Corinthians Alagoano. After a spell at 15 de Novembro-RS, he returned to Internacional in 2008, again as an assistant. In the following two years, Ferreira managed Mogi Mirim, Criciúma and ABC. On 24 September 2012, he was appointed manager of Ponte Preta. Ferreira was dismissed on 6 June 2013, and on 28 July he was named Portuguesa manager, with the side seriously threatened with relegation. He managed to finish 12th with the club, but the side ultimately suffered relegation due to irregularly fielding in a player; in the following February, he resigned. On 24 July 2014, immediately after leaving Figueirense, Ferreira returned to Ponte. He was sacked on 3 August 2015, and was appointed manager of Chapecoense on 14 September. On 24 June 2016, Ferreira left Chape after agreeing to a deal with Bahia. He left the club in the same manner the following 30 May, after returning to Inter, now in the first team. On 11 November 2017, after a 1–1 draw against Vila Nova and thus losing the leadership of 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, Ferreira was relieved from his duties. On 26 December, he returned to Bahia, but was sacked the following 3 June. On 7 August 2018, Ferreira was appointed manager of Chape for the second time, but was dismissed on 15 October. On 20 February of the following year, he took over Sport Recife, helping in their promotion to the first division at the end of the season but being dismissed on 13 February 2020 after a poor start of the campaign. On 18 March 2020, Ferreira was named Ceará manager in the place of Enderson Moreira.
