Ederson was born in Osasco, São Paulo and started his footballing career at the local club São Paulo at the age of seven. After a season, he was signed by S.L. Benfica Juniors and remained there for 2 seasons. He eventually moved on to the Portuguese team Ribeirão in 2011 and Rio Ave in 2012. After delivering several good performances with Rio Ave, he attracted the interest of the Portuguese superpower Benfica who then signed him in 2015 with a release clause (the fee that any team would be required to pay before the player's contract expires) of €45 million. His time at Benfica proved to be successful as he won 4 titles in 2 seasons with them.