During his career he played, among others, for Porto and Sporting CP, amassing Primeira Liga totals of 296 matches and 19 goals over 15 seasons.

In the summer of 1984, Pacheco signed with another Primeira Liga club, Sporting CP, moving alongside teammate António Sousa as part of the deal that sent 17-year-old prodigy Paulo Futre in the opposite direction.

[7] These achievements prompted the interest of La Liga club RCD Mallorca in June 2003, but he was dismissed in September after just five matches and one win,[8] immediately returning to Boavista as a replacement for sacked Erwin Sánchez, whom he had previously managed there.

Pacheco was at Boavista's helm when the Porto team were relegated to division two at the end of the 2007–08 season, due to the Apito Dourado affair.

[13] Pacheco joined Al Shabab FC (Riyadh) in 2009, winning the Prince Faisal bin Fahad Cup almost immediately.

at Workers Stadium, he erected his middle finger to the referee and the opposite team, being punished with an eight-match suspension and a €4,265 fine by the Chinese Football Association.

[16] Pacheco moved to the third continent of his career in October 2014, when he was appointed at Egypt's Zamalek SC as a replacement for the dismissed Hossam Hassan.

[17] At the turn of the new year, he unexpectedly quit the league leaders to return to Al-Shabab;[18] he had a record of eight wins and a draw from ten games and felt disrespected by the club's board.