Born in Lagos, Algarve, Cabrita played 14 of his 18 years as a senior in his country's top division, starting out at Olhanense.
[1] He gained seven caps for Portugal in twelve years, making his debut on 11 March 1945 in a 2–2 friendly draw against Spain[2] and netting his only goal in his next appearance, a 1–5 away loss to the same opponent for the 1950 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, on 2 April 1950.
His first full-time stop at the professional level came during the 1967–68 campaign, when he acted as interim at Benfica and led the club to the national championship, before Otto Glória took over.
[4][5] In the Portuguese top flight he was also in charge of Tomar, Beira-Mar, Rio Ave, Academico de Viseu and Penafiel.
[6] He led a technical commission with three other members – José Augusto, António Morais and Toni – and coached the national side to the semi-finals at UEFA Euro 1984, where they lost 2–3 to France in extra time.