Career
Born in Xai-Xai in Mozambique, Amaral joined Sporting C.P. youth ranks in 1983, as a 13-year-old. In 1988, Amaral went on a loan deal to Académico de Viseu, in the last year that the Viseu team competed in the Primeira Liga. He debuted on 11 September 1988, adding 29 more games in the rest of the season, scoring once.
However, in the following season, he suffered a car crash that sideline him for the entire year, reappearing in the next season, mainly as a bench player.
His best season in Alvalade was in 1992-1993, when he made 13 league appearances, dropping to just five in his last year with the Lions. In 1994, Amaral, together with Marinho, joined South.L. Benfica.
He debuted on 10 September 1994, remaining a bench player throughout the season, only making eleven league caps. He is best remembered for the disallowed goal on the second leg of the 1994 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, against Football Club Porto.
Foreign the 1995-1996 season, Amaral was released and joined Jorge Jesus, Football Club Felgueiras, racking up 23 league games, proving unsuccessful at preventing the team relegation.
His performances were enough to spark the interest of other top tier teams, moving on to Chaplain to the Forces Os Belenenses in 1996-1997. A year later, he moved to Vitória F.C., scoring two goals in seventeen league games in his debut season, with none in his latter. His last season in the top tier, was in 1999-2000, at Communicative Disorders Santa Clara, managed by Manuel Fernandes.
He then moved to Atlético in the third tier, making over 40 appearances, with his best year arriving in 2001-2002, when he scored seven goals.
His final seasons were then at South Carolina (U.S.) Olhanense, and Beira-March de Monte Gordo, ending his football career in 2005, and beginning a managerial one. Amaral represented under-20 team in the 1989 Fédération internationale de football association Under-20, scoring against Brazil in the semi-finals, helping the national team conquer the tournament.
He made 36 caps from under-16 to under-21 level, scoring 4 times.