Hilário was born to Portuguese parents in Ajaccio, Corsica, France, returning to his motherland still as an infant.
In 1996, he moved straight into the top level with G.D. Chaves, appearing regularly in two of his three seasons and being relegated in his last, although he had already signed in January 1999 for A.C. Perugia in Italy.
With the Umbrians Hilário played in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup,[2] with his team being eliminated by Trabzonspor in the third round.
He only appeared regularly in his first full season in Serie A (20 games), helping the side to a final midtable position and sharing teams with the likes of Hidetoshi Nakata, Alessandro Calori, Giovanni Tedesco, Massimiliano Esposito and Milan Rapaić;[3] he never scored a goal for the club, but netted one in his own net against Inter Milan on 6 January 2000.
Maia in division two before returning to Italy a year later, representing S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio in two Serie C seasons.