During his playing career in the 1970s, Ramalho was a midfielder with São Paulo. Between 1973 and 1978, he played 177 games for the club, scoring 26 goals. Later in his career, he played in Mexico, being almost unknown in Brazil during that time. He was not called up for the 1978 World Cup due to a knee injury. After retiring, he started his career as a head coach.
