023. Careca

Antonio de Oliveira Filho, better known as Careca, was among his country’s most promising players in the early eighties. His powerful right-foot shot and pace made him lethal in front of goal. He started his career in Guarani and would have played up front for Brazil in their magic World Cup team of 1982 had he not been injured on the eve of the finals.

He moved to Sao Paulo after the World Cup in Spain and had several successful seasons there and was Brazilian champion of 1986 beating his old club Guarani in the final. The World Cup was held in Mexico that same year, and Careca was determined not to miss it again. He played a key role in yet another great Brazilian team which reached the quarterfinals and were beaten by France on penalties in one of the classic games in soccer history. Personally, Careca had a great tournament and scored five goals making him second on the top scorers’ list after Lineker.

Careca was soon tempted to join a top club in Europe and after staying another season with Sao Paulo, he teamed up with Diego Maradona and fellow Brazilian Alemao in Napoli in 1987. Careca was now ranked as one of the best strikers in the world and with Napoli he won several trophies, among them the Scudetto (Serie A championship) and the UEFA Cup beating Stuttgart with Careca as one of the goal scorers.

After six years in Napoli, he moved to Japan in 1993 as one of the foreign stars trying to set the Japanese league alight. Careca was then 33 and spent three years in Asia before returning home to Brazil in 1997. He was nearly forty when he retired having played in the lower leagues for a couple of years.

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