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Careca
(Brazil)
Antonio
de Oliveira Filho, better known as Careca, was among
his country’s most promosing 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 topscorers’
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 goalscorers.
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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