A skilled attacking midfielder, he was considered one of the best Portuguese players of his generation, and earned the nickname Luvas Pretas from the black gloves he used to wear while playing following in the style of his grandfather Carlos Alves.
[3] Alves moved to his first major club, Boavista FC, for the 1974–75 campaign, where he first showed more of his talent, earning him a transfer to Spain's UD Salamanca where he remained two more years.
Two years later he returned to senior football, signing with Switzerland's Servette FC and achieving promotion to the Super League in his second season.
[12] However, following poor results achieved by his successor and the club's takeover by Hugh Quennec, he was reinstated as manager in April 2012:[13] in the final five games of the campaign results improved, with the team achieving four wins and one draw – this included a 2–1 win over eventual champions FC Basel, which ended Servette's streak of 17 consecutive defeats against that opponent as well as ending their 26-match unbeaten run – and the side eventually qualified for the UEFA Europa League.
[16] They were relegated in May when the campaign was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he openly attacked the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional for the decision.