Benfica's farm team, and subsequently moved to the lower leagues where he represented three clubs, helping G.D. Estoril Praia return to the second tier at the end of the 2002–03 season with a career-best 16 goals in 35 games.
Marco Paulo then moved abroad, where he would appear for Stade Lavallois (France, Ligue 2) and Ionikos FC (Super League Greece).
[1] He had his only top-flight experience with the latter, playing less than one third of the matches and with his side finishing in last position; he retired from football in June 2007, aged 31.
Marco Paulo opted to represent Angola internationally, going on to win five caps.
Four of those came during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, against Algeria, Gabon and Zimbabwe (twice), scoring against the second nation in a 2–2 away draw.