Benito Carbone

Benito "Benny" Carbone

Personal information
Date of birth	14 August 1971 (1971-08-14)
Place of birth	Bagnara Calabra, Italy
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1987–88	Torino
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1988–1990	Torino	8	(0)
1990–1991	Reggina	31	(5)
1991–1992	Casertana	31	(4)
1992–1993	Ascoli	28	(6)
1993–1994	Torino	28	(3)
1994–1995	Napoli	29	(4)
1995–1996	Inter	32	(2)
1996–1999	Sheffield Wednesday	96	(25)
1999–2000	Aston Villa	23	(4)
2000–2001	Bradford City	42	(10)
2001–2002	Derby County	13	(1)
2002	Middlesbrough	13	(1)
2002–2003	Como	22	(2)
2003–2004	Parma	19	(4)
2004–2005	Catanzaro	27	(7)
2005–2006	Vicenza	28	(5)
2006	→ Sydney FC (loan)	3	(2)
2007–2010	Pavia	80	(27)
Total		515	(95)
Teams managed
2011	Pavia
2011	Varese
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 07:49, 11 September 2007 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Benito known as Benny Carbone (born 14 August 1971 in Bagnara) is a retired Italian professional footballer and former manager of Serie B club Varese. He played as a forward, winger or midfielder. He has played professional football for seventeen different clubs.

Career

Carbone began his career in 1989 with Torino in his native Italy, and became a journeyman for the next few years before being signed by Sheffield Wednesday in 1996 for £3 million from Internazionale. Carbone became the club's highest goal scorer for the 1998–99 season scoring nine goals and was voted the fans` favourite player.

After a contract dispute with Wednesday at the start of the 1999–2000 season, he joined Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee and played for a season at Villa Park, earning an FA Cup runners up medal after Villa lost 1–0 in the final to Chelsea. He had previously scored a hat-trick against Leeds United in an earlier round, including a spectacular long range strike from 35 yards.^{[citation needed]} At the start of the 2000–01 season, he joined Bradford City on a free transfer. Despite some disillusionment over his wages, he scored some memorable goals and endeared himself to the Valley Parade faithful.^{[citation needed]} Bradford City were relegated and although he played the start of the following season with them as well as pledging his future to them, he later moved on loan to first Derby County, where he scored once against former club Aston Villa, and then Middlesbrough, where he again scored once in the league against Aston Villa. In 2002, he left Bradford, after they went into administration, and returned to Italy with Como and played for Parma from 2003 to 2005. \ accused him of being a mercenary due to Carbone moving clubs on a regular occurrence. He was, however, very popular with the fans of his clubs, particularly at Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City. He also waived much of the money owed to him after he had moved to Como which helped City survive in the administration of 2002.

After a one-year stint with Vicenza, Carbone signed for a four-game guest contract with the Australian team Sydney FC. He capped his first game against Adelaide United off with two assists and a goal. He was a potential replacement for Dwight Yorke, who was the previous marquee player at the club and after his debut many believed would be better than Yorke.

During Carbone's third guest game, he pulled a hamstring muscle that ruled him out of football for at least seven weeks, ending his short lived career with Sydney. Carbone failed to reach an agreement with Sydney for a long term contract.

Upon returning to Italy, Carbone joined northern side Pavia in August 2007. In his first season back in the lower leagues, Carbone scored just 5 goals in 29 appearances as Pavia finished fourth from bottom.

Coaching career

After his retirement, Carbone accepted to stay at Pavia as youth coach, guiding the Berretti under-19 team. On March 2011 he was then promoted as head coach to replace Gianluca Andrissi. He guided Pavia to a safe place in the 2010–11 Lega Pro Prima Divisione standings, leading the club out of the relegation zone in his two months in charge of the first team.

On 16 June 2011 he was surprisingly announced as new head coach of Serie B club Varese, replacing local hero Giuseppe Sannino who left to become new boss of Serie A club Siena after guiding the club from Lega Pro Seconda Divisione to a spot in the promotion playoffs during his last season in charge. On October 1, 2011 he was sacked and replaced by Rolando Maran.

External links

• Player Profile at sydneyfc.com