Ricardo Carvalho was brought to the Porto junior team in the 1996–97 season. In the oncoming season, Carvalho made his professional debut when he signed on loan for Leça. Between 1999 and 2001, he had loan spells at Vitória de Setúbal and FC Alverca. He returned to Porto in the 2001–02 season, being third choice behind Jorge Costa and Jorge Andrade, but he quickly won a place in the starting XI, forming a terrific partnership with Andrade in the centre of defence, which brought disappointment to captain Jorge Costa who, in April 2002, joined Charlton Athletic on a five-month loan spell. Carvalho made 25 appearances in the Portuguese league that season. In the following season, Jorge Costa returned to Porto and Jorge Andrade moved to Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain. With José Mourinho in charge, Carvalho started the campaign as the third option behind Costa and Pedro Emanuel, but later, his excellent form led him to a place in 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.