If any young player wants to know what it takes to make a name for yourself in a Derby County shirt, they could do a lot worse than to take a look at the story of Horacio Carbonari.
The Argentine full-back was signed by Jim Smith for £3 million in the summer of 1998 and he arrived with a reputation for scoring goals, and big ones at that.
He won the Copa CONMEBOL – the precursor to the current Copa Sudamericana - with his hometown club Rosario Central in 1995, remarkably finishing the campaign as the competition’s joint top-scorer after two goals in the final second leg against Atletico Mineiro.
Nicknamed ‘Bazooka’ thanks to his powerful free-kicks, Carbonari scored some key goals for the Rams, including a stunning winner in the East Midlands derby against Nottingham Forest at Pride Park Stadium and two set piece efforts against Chelsea.
His first goal for the club came at the City Ground against the big rivals 19 years ago today, and as the man himself explains, he got in a bit of trouble with the footballing authorities after equalising in the 72nd minute.
Speaking to dcfc.co.uk about the game in November 1998, he said: “I remember I went to the fans, it was a fantastic moment.
“I was very lucky to score against Forest in one of my first games, and to celebrate with the fans.
“I got fined, but history says that I scored and the important thing is that I scored against Forest.”
The Rams were behind after goals Dougie Freedman and Pierre van Hooijdonk cancelled out Tony Dorigo’s penalty, and emotions ran high both on the pitch and in the away end when Carbonari levelled the scores.
The fans came onto the pitch as the Argentine celebrated, leaving the defender to foot the bill after he was charged with inciting the crowd by the FA.
As you’d expect, Carbonari had no doubts that it was worth every penny.
