Three years later, when Ângelo was a worker at his father's shoe store and was serving in the military in Santarém at age 20, a Benfica scout watched him play and brought him to Lisbon in 1951 to represent Benfica's reserves, with the FPF backing down on his ban. During his 13 seasons with "The Eagles"' main team, from 1952 to 1965, he made 285 appearances and scored 4 goals, winning 7 Primeira Liga titles, 5 Taça de Portugal, 1 Taça de Honra, and 2 consecutive European Cups (in 1961 and 1962). He retired as a player at age 35.