Baiaco is considered one of the greatest defensive midfielders in Bahia's history. With an impressive ability to mark and tackle, he was a key player in several state championship wins. His dedication and love for the club made him an example for future generations of players. Baiaco played over 400 games for Bahia, being one of the players who wore the tricolor jersey the most.

Baiaco wasn't a star player, his passes weren't very good, his technique was limited, but his sheer grit overcame everything. He marked and neutralized great Brazilian football stars like Ademir da Guia, Tostão, Rivelino, Gerson, Dirceu Lopes, and even King Pelé suffered against that pest. In a 1988 interview, Pelé said that Baiaco and the Italian Trapattoni were his best markers, along with Vicente Arenari, also a former Fluminense player and Brazilian champion in 1959, who later played for Palmeiras. He was even considered for the national team for the 1974 World Cup, and received offers from Cruzeiro, Vasco da Gama, and Botafogo/RJ, who signed Perivaldo in 1976. Flamengo also tried and ended up signing Dendê and Merica. Baiaco had an eternal love affair with Bahia and he never left. He rarely suffered injuries despite fighting on the field as if fighting for a plate of food. In those 13 years defending Bahia, he scored just over 13 goals, the most important of which was the comeback against Leônico that gave the Tricolor de Aço their sixth championship.