Born in Setúbal, Santos made his professional debut with his hometown club Vitória FC,[2] also serving two loans with lowly teams (Caldas and Operário).
His performances in the 1997–98 campaign attracted the attention of Leeds United,[3][4] but he made no official appearances whatsoever for the Premier League side, returning to his country with Benfica.
[2] During his stint in Lisbon, Santos was almost always only third choice, and went on to also serve several loans, including in Spain's Badajoz, playing no games in the Segunda División during his four-month spell.
[6][2] After one year in North America, appearing for both the Rochester Raging Rhinos and Toronto FC, Santos returned to Portugal and played in slightly more than half of the league's matches for Gondomar, with the club, also in the Segunda Liga, being relegated.
[10] After the dismissal of manager José Mourinho on 19 April 2021, the entire coaching staff was relieved of their duties.