Born in Cascais, Morais joined Sporting CP in 1958, arriving from S.C.U.

He spent the following 11 seasons with the Lisbon club, appearing in 256 matches in all competitions – including friendlies – and scoring 68 goals.

Morais was essential as Sporting won the 1964 edition of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: in the final's replay (3–3 in the first match), he scored from a direct corner kick in a 1–0 win against MTK Budapest FC.

Morais was selected for the country's 1966 FIFA World Cup squad, appearing in three games in a third-place finish.

[4] In the last group-stage fixture against Brazil, he committed one of the most infamous World Cup fouls on Brazilian legend Pelé;[5] however, he was allowed to stay on the field by English referee George McCabe.