After working in his teens as an electrician, Baptista started playing organized football at the age of 13 in his hometown of Setúbal, with local Vitória FC.

Four years later he received his first callup to the Portuguese national junior team, managed by José Maria Pedroto, and scored a combined 33 Primeira Liga goals in his last two seasons with the club, included a career-best 22 in only 26 games in the 1970–71 campaign, with the Sadinos eventually finishing in fourth position and subsequently qualifying to the UEFA Cup;[2] he also led the team to two consecutive domestic cup finals, winning the tournament in 1967.

[3] He made his official debut on 26 September, and netted in a 3–0 away win against former team Vitória, going on to be part of the squad that won 54 league matches out of 60 over the course of two seasons to win back-to-back national championships, with the player contributing with 17 goals in only 31 appearances;[4][5] his teammates during that timeframe included Humberto Coelho, Eusébio, Rui Jordão, Nené and António Simões.

After helping Benfica win a further three leagues, amidst several bouts of erratic and unprofessional behaviour, Batista demanded a pay rise and a new Porsche in 1978, with the club's board of directors only accepting the latter.

After insulting manager Juca – he clashed with several coaches during his career – and some teammates minutes into a training to which he arrived late in 1976, he was expelled and never represented the country again.