Os Belenenses, making nearly 150 official appearances with the first team in his five-year Primeira Liga spell and scoring nine goals.
[1] With Benfica, Pietra won, always as an important defensive unit, the league in 1977, 1981, 1983 and 1984, adding five Taça de Portugal trophies.
In 11 seasons he appeared in 320 games in all competitions, netting on 25 occasions;[1] he also helped the club to the 1982–83 UEFA Cup final, lost to Belgium's R.S.C.
[3][4] Pietra earned 28 caps for Portugal,[5][6] his first game being on 14 November 1973 in a 1–1 draw against Northern Ireland for the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, at the age of only 19.
Pietra's last match was on 21 September 1983 in a 5–0 win over Finland for the UEFA Euro 1984 qualification stages.