He spent most of his professional career with Benfica, appearing in 131 official matches and winning eight major titles, including two European Cups.

Born in Alcântara, Lisbon, Germano started playing with local Atlético Clube de Portugal, spending seven of his nine seasons in the Primeira Liga.

Benfica, where he remained the following six years, being a leading defensive unit of the sides that won four national championships and two European Cups (against FC Barcelona and Real Madrid); in the latter competition's 1964–65 edition, he was placed in goal following his teammate's Costa Pereira injury in the final against Inter Milan, and kept a clean sheet for more than 30 minutes, albeit in a 1–0 loss.

[3] He was part of the squad that appeared at the 1966 FIFA World Cup but, after a subpar performance in the second game against Bulgaria, was benched for the rest of the tournament, which ended with a third-place conquest.

[5][6] Germano ranked 53rd in UEFA's 50 Greatest Footballers of the Last 50 Years jubilee list.