Benfica Born in
Trofa,
Porto District, Santos began his development at local
C.D. Trofense before joining the ranks of
FC Porto, and after a year at
Rio Ave F.C. he signed for
S.L. Benfica in 2013. On 30 August 2014, he made his professional debut with
their reserves in the
Segunda Liga, coming on as a 69th-minute
substitute for
João Amorim in a 3–1 home win against
S.C. Covilhã. He scored eight goals in 36 games in his
first season, On 14 February 2015, he scored twice in a 4–1 home victory over
U.D. Oliveirense (4–1). Santos made his only appearance for the first team in the
Primeira Liga on 11 September 2015, playing the final 11 minutes in place of
Pizzi in a 6–0 home rout of
C.F. Os Belenenses. That December, he suffered an injury to his left knee that was still an issue when he signed a season-long loan to fellow top-flight club
Vitória F.C. in June 2016.
Rio Ave On 16 June 2017, Santos signed a five-year contract with Rio Ave also of the top tier. Almost exclusively a substitute in his
first season, he scored once for his first goal in the league on 17 September, at the end of a 1–2 home defeat to eventual champions
FC Porto. Santos suffered more problems with his left knee in July 2018, and did not return to the pitch until the following March. On 17 June 2020, he was one of three players in his team to be
sent off in a 2–1 home loss to Benfica – for a high foot on Pizzi – and was subjected to social media abuse by his club's fans.
Sporting CP On 21 August 2020, Santos joined
Sporting CP on a five-year deal for €4 million plus shares in the economic rights of
Gelson Dala (50%) and
Francisco Geraldes (75%), and a
buyout clause of €60 million. He scored eight competitive goals in his
first season for the champions, seven in
the league. As Sporting often operated on a
3–5–2 formation under
Ruben Amorim, Santos was deployed as a
left wing-back on several occasions. He contributed four goals in 2,073 minutes in
2023–24 to another league title, but missed the vast majority of the
following campaign after rupturing the tendon of his right knee; in November 2024, he was handed an eight-match suspension for smashing a glass protection while in the stands – he was not part of the squad due to injury – and injuring two spectators (one of them seriously) during the
4–3 loss against Porto in the
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in August but, controversially, the ban was to be served while he recovered. Santos returned to action on 1 February 2026, playing 26 minutes for
Sporting's reserves in the 2–0 second-division home win over Oliveirense. His first appearance for the main squad since his injury took place four days later, as he replaced
Francisco Trincão late into the second half in a 3–2
extra-time victory against
AVS Futebol SAD in the
quarter-finals of the
Taça de Portugal. ==International career==