After two years without a racecourse ride in public, he was offered the chance to move to England and link up with Thirsk-based trainer David Nicholls.

After winning 21, 35 and 68 races in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively, he reached his maiden century of winners in 2010 and attracted the attention of northern trainer Mark Johnston.

In a 2011 BBC interview Johnston said, "I noticed him last season when he rode 100 winners for mainly small trainers, often on horses at long odds".

After initially being excluded from some bookmakers’ lists for the flat-jockeys’ championship, with monthly totals of 24, 20 and 27 winners in May, June and July respectively he was heading the title race.

[4] The 2010 champion jockey Paul Hanagan regained the lead by September; having incurred a four-day suspension in early October, de Sousa's chances of a first title were fading.

[5] He continued to focus on his championship challenge with 32 winners in October; however, Mark Johnston's decision to put de Sousa on Fox Hunt in Australia's Melbourne Cup was another blow to his title bid.

[8] Soon after losing his retainer with Godolphin, de Sousa was crowned British flat racing Champion Jockey 2015.

[9] He rode his 200th winner of the year at Lingfield on 18 October, and with 155 wins in the Championship period, he effectively won the title with weeks to spare.

He identified the highlights of his year as the day he rode six winners - five at Sandown and one at Goodwood - and his Cesarewitch Handicap win on Withhold.

[11] Having found it difficult to re-establish himself as a freelance, de Sousa moved to Hong Kong for the start of the season in September 2022.