Careca

Careca, born Antônio de Oliveira Filho on 5 October 1960 in Araraquara, São Paulo, was a Brazilian centre-forward whose career linked championship-winning teams in Brazil, Italy and Japan. “Careca” means “bald” in Portuguese, a childhood nickname that remained with him despite his hair. He entered senior football at Guarani, the Campinas club, and belonged to its squad when it won the 1978 Campeonato Brasileiro. Guarani’s title remains especially notable because the club defeated Palmeiras in the final and became the first team from Brazil’s interior to win the national championship. After moving to São Paulo FC in 1983, Careca became one of the league’s most feared finishers. He helped São Paulo win the Campeonato Paulista in 1985 and 1987 and the Campeonato Brasileiro in 1986. That 1986 national campaign also earned him the Bola de Ouro, Placar magazine’s award for the competition’s best player. In 1987 he signed for Napoli, joining Diego Maradona in a club that had recently claimed its first Italian league title. Careca scored 96 goals in 221 official appearances for Napoli, figures that place him among the club’s most productive foreign forwards. Napoli’s celebrated attack was called Ma-Gi-Ca, combining the names Maradona, Bruno Giordano and Careca. The trio played together during Careca’s first season in Naples. Careca was central to Napoli’s UEFA Cup triumph in 1988–89, the first major European trophy in the club’s history. Napoli overcame Juventus, Bayern Munich and Bordeaux before defeating Stuttgart over two final legs; Careca scored in the second leg at the Stadio San Paolo. He also won Serie A in 1989–90 and the 1990 Supercoppa Italiana. Those honours came during the most successful era in Napoli’s history. At international level, Careca played 60 matches and scored 30 goals for Brazil. He was selected for the 1982 World Cup but withdrew because of a thigh injury. At Mexico 1986, he scored five times, including against Spain and Poland, and received the tournament’s Silver Ball as its second-best player. Brazil lost its quarter-final to France on penalties. At Italia 1990 he scored twice against Sweden as Brazil again eventually reached the quarter-finals. Following his departure from Napoli in 1993, he spent four seasons with Kashiwa Reysol in Japan, then returned to Brazil for Santos. He later played for São José before retiring. His combination of acceleration, powerful shooting and intelligent movement made him a natural complement to Maradona in Napoli’s frontline.