João Roberto Rota Neto was born in São Paulo on 21 May 2003 and moved to Portugal as a teenager with FC Famalicão. On 5 December 2020, aged 17 years and six months, he became the youngest player ever to make a professional debut for the club, appearing in a 2-2 Primeira Liga draw with Sporting CP.

On 1 September 2021 Famalicão loaned him to Benfica, who used him in the B team. Wearing the number 89, the tall central midfielder made eleven appearances in Liga Portugal 2 in 2021/22 but only one more in 2022/23, twelve in total, without scoring, and he was never called up by Benfica's first team.

He returned to Famalicão when the loan expired and, on 2 September 2024, signed a four-year contract with Red Bull Bragantino in Brazil, making his debut for them in the Copa do Brasil in August 2025. He should not be confused with the Portuguese assistant referee of the same name.