Let's open the book at the last page, with the last memory of Careca with Napoli: on February 23, 1999, in a San Paolo stadium with more than 50,000 people, Antonio Careca plays his farewell match. He chooses Naples, not Brazil or another place in the world. And it is a great spectacle. Fifty thousands and more people screaming his name and singing the famous song dedicated to him: "O Carè, Carè, Carè, tira la bomba, tira la bomba..." (= come on, Careca, Careca, Careca, throw the bomb, throw the bomb...). In such a sad period for the Napoli supporters, we all miss him and that fantastic Napoli of the triumphs. There are fans of all ages, and a great number of children who, with their father, see for the first time in their life that player whose name they have always heard: Antonio Careca. And when Careca scores a goal, the stadium explodes: it was like an important goal such as the one in Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup final. Careca and Napoli, a great love.
Antonio Careca de Oliveira Filho was born on October 5, 1960 in Araraquara (Brazil). After many seasons in Brazil, after the victory of some titles and after
ranking top scorer of the league with the São Paulo team, he joins Napoli and plays his first match on September 27, 1987 in Pisa-Napoli 0-2.
It is the beginning of a fable: Careca during his years in Napoli scores 96 goals in 222 matches.
Napoli has just won the first Scudetto, led by Diego Maradona, and must now defend the title and play the Champions' Cup. Unfortunately, Careca's first year in Napoli is not a happy one for the team as Real Madrid defeats Napoli in the first round of the Champions' Cup and, most of all, Napoli loses the Scudetto in the very last matches. Careca's 13 goals are not enough.
In 1989 Careca is one of the stars of the victory of The UEFA Cup: his goals against Bayern Munich and Stuttgart are the key for the triumph.
His delicious lob in Stuttgart when Napoli goes 3-1 up is unforgettable. And Careca was playing that game with 39°C of temperature!
In Serie A too, he plays perfectly on the field with Maradona, and watching Napoli in action is a great entertaining show.
He scores 19 goals, among them the memorable hattrick in Turin against Juventus in the Juventus-Napoli 3-5 match. Napoli ranks as runner-up in the league, after Inter.
In 1990 Careca finally wins the Scudetto with Napoli: it is Napoli's second title, a title suffered until the last match. The attack couple Maradona-Careca is fantastic. The matches in Napoli are pure show of football: Napoli wins 16 out of 17 matches at home, with just a draw against Sampdoria. All the great teams are defeated in the San Paolo stadium: Milan AC, Juventus, Inter, Roma, are all destroyed by the extraordinary Neapolitan strikers. We must remember his goal from the goal kick line against Roma and the one against Bologna which led Napoli to win the second Scudetto.
The following season, 1990/91, is the season of Maradona's ban from Italian football and is the beginning of the end for Napoli's glory days. After the victory of the Supercoppa Italiana with a memorable Napoli-Juventus 5-1 (and two goals by Careca), Napoli plays a bad tournament and Maradona's ban marks the end of the triumphs. Napoli does not qualify for European competitions.
Careca stays in Napoli two more years, leading the team, with Gianfranco Zola, to a very good fourth place in 1991/92. But the following year, though with Daniel Fonseca, Napoli and Careca do not play a good tournament and after the defeat in the UEFA Cup against Paris St. Germain, Napoli ranks in the lower part of the table.
Antonio Careca's years in Napoli come to an end. The unforgettable champion is an idol for Napoli fans still today. We all miss Careca and his teammates, especially in this last period, with a suffering Napoli. And all the feeling of the Napoli fans to Careca is in the chorus: "O Carè, Carè, Carè, tira la bomba, tira la bomba...".