In a 24-year senior career, he played for two clubs in his native region, Marítimo and Nacional, also representing Porto albeit with no success.
Marítimo's youth academy, Bruno was born in Funchal, and he made his debut with the first team in 1993 at the age of 19, but was soon loaned to Madeira neighbours A.D. Camacha.
In the following seasons he worked his way into his hometown club's starting XI, and soon became a fan favourite in the role of playmaker; his goal against Leeds United in the 2001–02 UEFA Cup, a thundering 45-yard free kick, enabled for a 1–0 victory against the English (who eventually won 3–1 on aggregate).
[2][3] Subsequently, many top European clubs became interested in Bruno, as he earned a trial with Premier League's Newcastle United which eventually fell through,[4][5] and he stayed in Portugal, joining Primeira Liga side FC Porto on a three-year contract in April 2002.
[10] After three seasons – in his first, he scored in a 4–2 away win over Sporting CP on 22 May 2005[11]– which included two more UEFA Cup participations that brought first-round exits against Sevilla FC[12][13] and FC Rapid București,[14] Bruno re-signed for a third spell with boyhood club Marítimo, on a free transfer.