the first team, appearing in the most important games of the season, including the UEFA cup semi-finals matches against Lazio and the UEFA Cup final where Porto beat Celtic 3–2 in extra time. It was Carvalho's first international trophy. By his great season, he was named Portuguese League Footballer of the Year and Porto Footballer of the Year. It was in the 2003–04 season that Carvalho made his name as a world-class footballer. His solid performances helped the club win the Portuguese league title for the second year in a row, and the most prestigious club trophy in European football, the UEFA Champions League. In this tournament, Carvalho played in all of Porto's matches, including the 3–0 win against Monaco in the final. Subsequently, his great performances merited the UEFA Club Best Defender of the Year award, voted into the UEFA Team of the Year, and was named one of the 50 players shortlisted for the 2004 Ballon d'Or), finishing ninth in the voting, being the only defender in top ten. He was selected for the Portuguese UEFA Euro 2004 squad, in which tournament he was also nominated for the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament. At the end of the season, Carvalho has been tracked by a host of top European clubs, including Internazionale, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United. Real Madrid offered €8.2 (£7) million for Carvalho, but Porto warned the Spaniards they would not accept anything less than €23.5 (£20) million for the defender after the Spanish team made a much lower offer. Days later, English club Chelsea offered €30 (£25.5) million for the centre back, which the Portuguese team accepted. Chelsea (2004–2010) At Stamford Bridge, Carvalho, who was considered one of the best centre-backs at Euro 2004, joined his former manager José Mourinho and former teammate Paulo Ferreira on a three-year contract. He signed for a fee of €30 million (£20 million at the time) and performed extremely well in his first season with Chelsea, helping them win the Premier League title, their first top-flight domestic title in 50 years, and the League Cup. He scored his first goal for Chelsea in a 3–1 victory over Norwich City. His partnership with captain John Terry in central defence was hailed as a major factor behind Chelsea's two Premier League titles in a row. The start of 2005–06 season was not as smooth for him, as he was