Andrea Carnevale was a player whose career saw dazzling highs, painful lows, and ultimately, an existence defined by both triumph and turbulence. While his name may not resonate as loudly as Diego Maradona or Careca, his contributions to Napoli’s greatest era and Italian football at large deserve due recognition.
PART ONE
Born on 12 January 1961 in Monte San Biagio, Carnevale grew up in a working-class family, one of seven siblings, in a household where football was played with the same frequency as bread was baked. His early life was not gilded with luxury or privilege; instead, he worked as a carpenter to support his family, all the while developing his footballing talent in impromptu games with his brothers, Enzo and Germano. Football in Italy has often been a means of escape, a ticket out of hardship, and for Carnevale, it was no different.
His first steps in professional football came with Latina Calcio 1932, a club that had already seen another promising forward, Alessandro Altobelli, pass through its ranks. However, unlike Altobelli, who would go on to enjoy a stellar career with Inter, Carnevale’s journey was more circuitous, taking him through various clubs before he found his true calling. Spells at Avellino, Reggiana, and Cagliari followed, where he honed his skills, developing into a physically imposing yet technically adept forward. It was at Udinese, however, that his reputation truly started to grow, as he netted consistently and showcased his ability to play as both a traditional number nine and a deeper-lying forward.
It was this form that earned him a move to Napoli in 1986, and what’s more, it placed him in the company of the greatest footballer the world had ever seen—Diego Maradona. Alongside the Argentine genius and the Brazilian striker Careca, Carnevale formed part of a devastating attacking trident that brought Napoli to unprecedented heights.
Napoli, a club historically starved of success, suddenly found itself at the pinnacle of Italian football. With Maradona’s sorcery, Careca’s flair, and Carnevale’s industrious play, they clinched their first-ever Serie A title in the 1986–87 season. Carnevale was not just an auxiliary figure; he scored vital goals, held up the ball, and provided crucial support to Maradona, allowing the little maestro to work his magic with greater freedom. In addition, the team also secured the Coppa Italia in that same season, completing an incredible domestic double.
Furthermore, Carnevale’s influence grew in subsequent seasons, as Napoli became a force in European football. In the 1988–89 campaign, they triumphed in the UEFA Cup, a tournament in which Carnevale played a key role. His ability to bring others into play, coupled with his knack for scoring decisive goals, ensured Napoli’s march to continental glory. By the time Napoli secured their second Scudetto in 1989–90, Carnevale was an established name in Italian football, a player whose work rate and goal scoring ability were widely admired.
PART TWO
Accordingly, his performances earned him a call-up to the Italian national team in 1989, and he made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Uruguay on 22 April of that year. His first international goal came just days later, in a 4–0 win over Hungary. Yet, despite these promising beginnings, Carnevale’s international career would ultimately be defined by disappointment rather than distinction.
Included in Italy’s squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup on home soil, Carnevale was expected to play a significant role. He started Italy’s opening game against Austria but failed to make an impact. More crucially, he was substituted for Salvatore Schillaci, a name that would soon become synonymous with the tournament. Within two minutes of coming on, Schillaci scored the winning goal, instantly usurping Carnevale in the pecking order.
Despite starting the next match against the United States, Carnevale once again found himself replaced, and from that point onward, he was consigned to the periphery as Schillaci’s fairytale run continued. Italy finished third in the tournament, but Carnevale’s international career effectively ended there, his ten caps and two goals failing to reflect the quality he had displayed at club level.
His post-Napoli career took him to AS Roma in 1990, a move that, on paper, should have prolonged his success. However, his time in the Eternal City was marred by controversy. After making a promising start, scoring four goals, Carnevale was caught up in a doping scandal alongside teammate Angelo Peruzzi. The resulting one-year suspension derailed his career and permanently tainted his reputation.
When he returned to action, he was no longer the same player. His time at Roma fizzled out, and he found himself stepping down a level, moving to Pescara in Serie B. He had a brief spell back in the top flight with Udinese but eventually returned to Pescara, where he saw out the final years of his career, bowing out from the game in 1996.
PART THREE
Despite the ignominious ending, Carnevale’s achievements cannot be ignored. He won two Scudetti, a Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Cup, an enviable collection of silverware that many great players never come close to replicating. Moreover, he played a crucial role in one of the greatest club sides in Italian football history, linking up with Maradona and Careca in a partnership that remains etched in Serie A folklore.
Yet, football is a game of fine margins, of moments that define legacies. Carnevale’s story could have been one of enduring stardom had Schillaci not stolen the limelight in 1990, had he avoided the scandal at Roma, or had he been given greater opportunities with the national team.
Instead, he remains a figure often relegated to the background when discussing Napoli’s golden era—a footnote in the Maradona chronicles, a player whose contributions are acknowledged but rarely celebrated.
And perhaps that’s the ultimate irony of Carnevale’s career—he was always there, always working, always contributing, yet never quite the leading man. The footballing world remembers the goalscorers, the magicians, the dazzling stars, but not always the supporting cast that made it all possible. For Andrea Carnevale, that is both his curse and his legacy.