Careca
With his bald head and blistering speed, this Brazilian striker was a central figure in one of football's most thrilling national teams.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Brazilian footballer·Birthday: October 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Emerging in the early 1980s, Careca became synonymous with a brand of joyful, attacking football that defined Brazil's appeal. His career at São Paulo established him as a lethal finisher, but it was on the world stage where he truly captured imaginations. After a cruel injury ruled him out of the 1982 World Cup, he returned with a vengeance in 1986, finishing as the tournament's second-top scorer with five goals and forming a devastating partnership with Zico. His iconic look—a shaved head and wide grin—made him instantly recognizable as he led the line with intelligent movement and powerful strikes. A move to Napoli placed him alongside Diego Maradona, creating a formidable attacking duo that won the UEFA Cup. Though the 1990 World Cup ended in disappointment, Careca's era represented the last flourish of the classic, free-flowing Brazilian style before a more pragmatic approach took hold.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Careca was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Careca Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Careca's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Scored 5 goals for Brazil in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, finishing as the tournament's second-highest scorer.
- Won the UEFA Cup with Italian club Napoli in 1989, forming a famed attacking partnership with Diego Maradona.
- Won the Copa América with Brazil in 1989.
- Was the top scorer in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 1982 while playing for São Paulo.
Did You Know?
His nickname 'Careca' is Portuguese for 'bald one', which he acquired as a child due to his hair loss from a bout of typhoid fever.
He turned down an offer from Juventus to join Napoli, in part because the Turin club wanted him to grow his hair back.
He scored a hat-trick on his debut for the Brazilian national team against Bolivia in 1982.
After retirement, he became a successful businessman, owning a chain of diagnostic medicine clinics in Brazil.
“I just loved to play football and score goals; it was pure joy.”
