Born in Matosinhos, Oliveira's senior career spanned 13 seasons, ten of which were spent in the Primeira Liga where he appeared in a total of 218 games, scoring 17 goals. In that level he represented Leixões SC, F.C. Famalicão, S.C. Espinho, S.C. Braga and Portimonense SC; in his last year as a professional, he played 23 matches for the latter side as they finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first and only time in their history. Oliveira retired in June 1985, at the age of 31. In the second division, he played for U.S.C. Paredes and Famalicão.
Coaching career
Oliveira was player-manager of Famalicão for their final match of the 1978–79 season, after the exit of Mário Imbelloni. The team lost 2–0 at C.F. Os Belenenses on 17 June, and were consequently relegated from the top level. Afterwards, Oliveira worked with Portimonense. His first season yielded the best finish of his entire career as seventh in the 1985–86, and he was fired midway through the following campaign. In the following years he worked almost exclusively with F.C. Paços de Ferreira in division two, achieving promotion in 1991 as champions and retaining league status the next year. After three full seasons in the top tier with Gil Vicente FC, Oliveira was in charge of several clubs in the first and second divisions, promoting from the latter level with U.D. Leiria, Belenenses and Leixões. Early into 2007–08 he replaced fired Paulo Duarte at the helm of Leiria, but only managed to lead his team to three wins in his 21 games as the season ended in top flight relegation. After working with former club Leixões as director of football in 2008–09, Oliveira resumed his career in the second level, with C.D. Trofense, C.D. Aves, F.C. Arouca and Moreirense FC. On 19 May 2016, he returned to Portimonense nearly three decades after his first spell, on a one-year contract with the aim of winning promotion. After doing so as champions – his fifth consecutive promotion – he decided to remain in the Algarve; having taken the team to tenth place on their return to the top flight, he left the Estádio Municipal de Portimão in May 2018. On 22 May2018, Oliveira replaced João Henriques as manager of another former club, Paços de Ferreira. In May 2019, having sealed his eleventh promotion and sixth as champion, he left for yet another former employer Gil Vicente – who had been restored to the top tier in a court decision. On 10 August, in their first game of the season, they beat FC Porto 2–1 at home; they finished in 10th, after which he left.
