Career
Born Benguela, Portuguese Angola, Malta da Silva was discovered by South.L. "s scouting team at Clube Nacional de Benguela. Facing heavy competition from Humberto Coelho, Germano, Raúl Machado and Jacinto Santos he appeared mainly in the Taça de Portugal, failing to feature in the league from 8 May 1965 to 23 March 1969. In 1977, Malta da Silva followed many teammates to the North American Soccer League.
He played with António Simões in the San Jose Earthquakes, and then moved to New England Oceaneers in American Soccer League.
Two years later, Malta da Silva embarked on a managerial career with Sport e Castelo Branco, promoting them from the third division in his first season and finishing twelfth the following year to avoid relegation. Due to his performances at club level, Malta da Silva received his first call-up to the Portuguese national team in 1971, during the Union of European Football Associations Euro 1972 qualifying campaign.
He made his debut on 17 February in a 1–3 loss in Belgium, and played four more games during the tournament, twice against Scotland and once against Denmark, earning his final cap on 21 November against Belgium.
