Turning down offers from Vasco da Gama and Fluminense, Evaristo joined Flamengo, and won three successive Rio State Championships with the club.

[2] The offer came additionally including a house, a Mercedes-Benz, and a club liaison officer who assisted with Evaristo's marriage to his childhood sweetheart Norma three months later.

In the following season, he scored three goals against European champions Real Madrid en route to Barcelona's first La Liga title in six years.

Brazil went on to win their first World Cup, with 17-year-old Pelé their headlining player; Evaristo would never wear the famous Brazilian yellow shirt again.

[2] Although he had offers from clubs in both France and Italy, with his family happy in Spain Evaristo agreed to join rivals Real Madrid.

[2] Despite a serious knee injury limiting him to just nineteen appearances and six goals for Real Madrid, Evaristo still won two La Liga titles in two seasons with the club.

He also holds the record of most goals for the Brazil national team in a single match, with Evaristo netting five times for the Seleção in a 9–0 win over Colombia in 1957.