What happened to former Werder Bremen star Diego Ribas?

The name Diego Ribas da Cunha is undoubtedly familiar to many football fans. The Brazilian was a fantastic player in his heyday, conquering both European and South American football. Join us in looking back at the former star footballer's career and life after football.

Diego was born on 28 February 1985 in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, but has Italian roots.

At the age of 12, Diego joined Brazilian giants Santos, where he made his debut and played alongside that other future star, Robinho.

With Santos, he won the Brazilian championship in 2002 and 2004, before leaving for Europe for the first time in his career.

It was Portuguese side FC Porto that contracted Diego in 2004 for an estimated transfer fee of €7 million.

However, Diego struggled to find his best form at Porto and made 63 appearances for the Portuguese side, scoring six goals and providing one assist. Despite winning the 2005/06 league title, he left Porto in 2006.

Diego signed for German Werder Bremen, a move that would change his career.

At Bremen, Diego quickly became one of Germany's best players and won several Player of the Month awards.

He also showed his talent with a breathtaking goal against Alemannia Aachen from a whopping 62.5 metres.

Diego performed so well in the 2006/07 season that football magazine Kicker awarded him the Bundesliga Player of the Season award, with more than half the votes.

Diego won two trophies at Bremen: the DFB-Ligapokal in 2006 and the DFB-Pokal in the 2008/09 season, his last campaign for the club.

However, Diego saved the best for last and had a great last season at Bremen. He led the Germans to the 2009 UEFA Cup final, which Bremen lost 2-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk while Diego was suspended.

In 2009, Diego started a new adventure in his career, this time signing for Italian giants Juventus in a €27 million move.

The Brazilian played 47 times for the 'Old Lady', scoring seven goals and providing 18 assists. His Italian spell was short-lived, however, as he soon returned to Germany.

He went on to play for VfL Wolfsburg, which paid €15.5 million, a club record at the time.

After scoring on his debut, he had a clash with then Wolfsburg manager Steve McClaren when Diego missed a penalty that should have actually been taken by designated taker Patrick Helmes.

Diego was subsequently fined €100,000 by McClaren for not following instructions.

Then, Diego was fined a whopping €500,000 when he left the hotel where the Wolfsburg team was staying when he heard he would start on the bench for an important match in the fight against relegation.

This was the run-up to Diego's loan to Spanish giants Atlético Madrid for the 2011/12 campaign.

Diego blossomed again in Madrid under the guidance of the emotional Diego Simeone and helped to team win another Europa League, scoring in the final. Diego then wanted to stay in the Spanish capital, but eventually returned to Wolfsburg.

Diego stayed at Wolfsburg for just over 1.5 years and made some impressive displays, but then returned to Madrid to play for Los Rojiblancos again.

Diego enjoyed his footballing life in Madrid again and helped Atlético to the league title in the 2013/14 season. On top of that, the team advanced to the final of the Champions League, but lost to cross-city rivals Real Madrid.

After a brief, but highly successful second spell at Atlético, Diego embarked on a Turkish adventure when he signed for Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2014, where he would stay until mid-2016.

That same year, the playmaker began the final chapter of his already trophy-laden career when he signed for Brazilian side Flamengo, which already had shown interest in the past.

In his native country, Diego added a few more trophies to his record by winning two Copa Libertadores, among others.

During his career, Diego also represented the Brazilian national team 34 times, in which he scored 4 goals.

He eventually retired on 12 November 2022, aged 37.

After his footballing life, Diego started another career, working as a motivational speaker and an athlete mentor.

Picture credit: Instagram @diegoribas10

He also hosts a podcast on leadership, management and entrepreneurship.

Image credit: Instagram @podcast10efaixa

Finally, he also enjoys time with his wife and children after a successful football career, which we can see on his Instagram account.

Image credit: Instagram @diegoribas10