António Ribeiro dos Reis was one of the most complete clubmen in Benfica's history: forward, coach, director and journalist. Born in Lisbon in 1896, he joined Benfica around 1914 and spent a decade as a forward, winning three Campeonato de Lisboa titles and playing in Portugal's first ever international, against Spain in December 1921.

He first took the bench in 1926, after Cosme Damião's founding era ended, and stayed until May 1929. A career army officer who retired as a lieutenant-colonel, he coached unpaid and repeatedly stepped in when the club was in difficulty. He returned in January 1932 and delivered the 1932-33 Campeonato de Lisboa before leaving in 1934.

His third and final spell came in February 1953, replacing Alberto Zozaya mid-season and steering Benfica to the Taça de Portugal with a 5-0 rout of Porto in the final. He stepped down that December.

Away from the bench he was a Benfica vice-president, a driving force behind the first Estádio da Luz and in 1945 co-founder of A Bola. He died in 1961; the Taça Ribeiro dos Reis bore his name.