Careca

Club career

Careca began his footballing career in his home state of São Paulo with local side Guarani in 1978. With his finishing ability and devastating pace quickly established himself as one of his country's best young strikers. With Guarani, he won the Brazilian Championship during his first season and the Brazilian Second Division in 1981.

By 1983, he had been signed by São Paulo, he continued to gather notoriety because of his impressive goals to games ratio and by 1986, Careca led São Paulo to the Brazilian Championship, beating his former club Guarani in the final. He was awarded Bola de Ouro the same year, which is the Brazilian equivalent of Footballer of the Year.

Move to Napoli

In the summer of 1987, Careca moved to Italian Serie A champions Napoli. In his first season at the club, he was part of the "Ma-Gi-Ca" forward trio along with Diego Maradona and Bruno Giordano, and scored 18 goals across all competitions. The team, however, did not win any silverware, having been knocked out in the first round of the European Cup by Real Madrid and lost the Serie A race in the final games of the season, particularly the 2–3 loss at home against the eventual winners AC Milan.

However, his second season was far more successful. The team won the UEFA Cup, with Careca scoring a goal in each leg of the final, one a memorable lobbed goal, and finished second in Serie A, also reaching the Coppa Italia final that season. In 1990, Careca finally won the Scudetto with Napoli, following the success up with the first ever Supercoppa Italiana later that year. Careca spent a further three years with Napoli, establishing a partnership with Gianfranco Zola, during which Napoli failed to win any silverware.

Later stages of playing career

In 1993, Careca left Italy to play for a new Japanese J.League team Kashiwa Reysol. Careca spent three years with the team, during which time he helped them to promotion to the J1 league in 1994. He returned to Brazil in 1997, where he played Santos for one seasons, and for Cambinas for one season, before joining the lower-league team São José (RS) where he finished his career in 1999.

Careca retired having played 64 games for Brazil, and scoring 30 goals.

Garforth Town owner and manager, Simon Clifford, persuaded Careca to play the majority of a friendly game against Guiseley in the summer of 2005.

Footballing name

The word careca is Portuguese for 'bald'. It was a nickname given to Careca as a child because of his admiration for a famous Brazilian clown of the same name.

Other Carecas

Two contemporaries of Careca, who like him played for the Brazil national football team, were also called Careca and are thus sometimes confused with him: Careca II and Careca Bianchezi.

International career

Careca first broke into the national side of Brazil during 1982, but was forced to miss the 1982 World Cup in Spain due to a thigh injury suffered in practice three days before Brazil's debut in that tournament. His place in the squad for that tournament was taken by Roberto Dinamite. He was also part of the Brazilian squad that came in second in the 1983 Copa América.

It was during the 1986 World Cup, in Mexico, that Careca really established himself in world football. He ended the tournament, during which Brazil were memorably eliminated on penalties by France at the quarter-final stage, with five goals, which placed him second in the Golden Boot rankings behind England's Gary Lineker. In 1990, Careca was part of the Brazilian team that was defeated by Argentina in the second round. He scored two goals in the tournament. His last cap was earned in August 1993.

Style of play

Careca is regarded as one of the greatest strikers in the history of Brazilian football. He was a prolific, fast, opportunistic, and powerful striker, with excellent technique and great striking ability. Despite being right-footed, he was also capable of scoring with his left foot, and he was known for his ability to score goals off-balance from angled shots even when running with the ball. Careca was also good in the air, and he had an excellent positional sense, which along with his intelligence, sense of space, and attacking movement, made him known for frequently being in the right position at the right time in the penalty area. Although he was usually deployed as a striker, he was also capable of playing in deeper positions, as a creative forward, due to his ability to play off of his teammates and provide them with assists, as well as his tendency to make attacking runs starting from outside the area in order to create space for other players. After scoring a goal, Careca often celebrated by mimicking an aeroplane's wings with his arms outstretched.

Career statistics

International

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Careca goal.

Honours

Guarani

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1978

São Paulo

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1986

Campeonato Paulista: 1985, 1987

Napoli

Serie A: 1989–90

Supercoppa Italiana: 1990

UEFA Cup: 1988–89

Individual

Bola de Prata: 1982, 1985, 1986

Bola de Ouro: 1986

Campeonato Paulista top scorer: 1985

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top scorer: 1986

FIFA World Cup Silver Boot: 1986

South American Team of the Year: 1986