 He made his first competitive start since his recovery nine days later, in an easy 4–0 home win against Estoril, scoring the first goal.On 14 April, he scored what it proved to be his final goal for Sporting, equalising with a powerful header in a 4–1 home win against Newcastle United.On 18 May, he came off the bench in the 73rd minute of the UEFA Cup final played on the home ground and lost by Sporting 1–3 over CSKA Moscow.