Rubinho

Having started at SC Corinthians Paulista, São Paulo-born Rubinho played his first four professional seasons there. In January 2006 he signed with Portugal's Vitória de Setúbal, helping the Sadinos achieve a final comfortable eighth position in the Primeira Liga. Subsequently, Rubinho moved to Italy's Serie B, joining Genoa where he was an undisputed starter from early on, achieving promotion to Serie A in his first season (29 games played). He appeared in the exact number of matches in the following campaign, as the team ranked tenth. On 6 August 2009, Rubinho joined Palermo signing a five-year contract, with Marco Amelia, whom occupied the same position, moving in the opposite direction – both players were valued at €5 million. He was loaned out to Livorno on February of the following year, after losing his place to young Salvatore Sirigu. On 29 June 2010, ChievoVerona initially agreed with Palermo to sign Rubinho on loan, subject to Stefano Sorrentino's sale. The deal eventually collapsed but, on 31 August, he signed for second-tier club Torino, also on loan. Despite Sirigu refusing to sign a new contract with Palermo and being eventually cast aside, Benussi was used in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, which ended in elimination at the hands of FC Thun, and Rubinho even lost his second-choice status for that tie, with Giacomo Brichetto taking his place. On 16 December 2011, he terminated his contract with the club. On 29 August 2012, after training…

Rubinho represented Brazil in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, being first-choice.

A reliable and experienced shot-stopper, who was well–regarded for his goalkeeping ability during his time in Italy, Rubinho was also known for his leadership and vocal presence in goal, being considered a key dressing room personality for his teams throughout his career. As a goalkeeper, he also stood out for his speed when rushing off his line to collect the ball or anticipate opponents who had beaten the off-side trap, and was known for his ability to get to ground quickly to parry shots. Moreover, he was effective in his distribution and competent with the ball at his feet. In 2009, former goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani considered Rubinho to be me among the best goalkeepers in Italy.

Rubinho's older brother, Zé Elias, was also a professional footballer. A midfielder, he played for nearly 15 clubs during 16 years, including Inter Milan.