Born in Vila Praia de Âncora, Caminha, Viana do Castelo, Romeu made his professional debuts with Vitória de Guimarães, first appearing with the first team not yet aged 19.
After reviving his career with his first club, Romeu moved in 1979 to FC Porto, where he would be much more used than at Benfica, in a four-season spell.
Aged 29, Romeu joined the last of the Big Three, Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Except for his debut campaign, he would not be more than a fringe player as the team came totally empty on silverware, and finally retired in 1988 after one-year spells with modest S.C. Salgueiros and Amora FC (the latter in division two).
In the 90s/2000s, Romeu had several spells as a manager, also working with Benfica as a scout and match observer (1999–2001).