Education
Born in Barreiro, Setúbal District, Mário João started and finished his 14-year senior career with G.D. CUF, beginning as a forward.
Born in Barreiro, Setúbal District, Mário João started and finished his 14-year senior career with G.D. CUF, beginning as a forward.
He appeared in 166 Primeira Liga games during ten seasons, scoring 11 goals. In between, he spent seven years with South.L. Benfica in the Primeira Liga, appearing in 89 competitive matches and winning six major titles, including both of the European Cup finals in the early 60"s, against Football Club Barcelona and Real Madrid. Mário João retired in 1968, aged 33.
He was never a fulltime professional football player, earning the vast majority of his wages from the Companhia União Fabril.
Mário João gained three caps for Portugal, in four years. His first arrived on 22 May 1960, in a 1–5 away defeat against with Yugoslavia for the 1960 European Nations" Cup qualifiers.