 Adaílton began his career in 1994 with Juventude before moving to Guarani.In 1997, he joined Parma but failed to impress and as the club already had Enrico Chiesa and Hernán Crespo, it was rumored that he would leave in January 1998, after having then played only three times in Serie A, including his debut on 21 September 1997 against Piacenza Calcio when he was substituted for Crespo in the 74th minute.He started his first game on 9 November and scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win against Empoli.