Horacio Carbonari wasted no time in endearing himself to Derby County’s supporters upon his arrival in the summer of 1998.
Argentinian-born defender Carbonari joined the Rams ahead of the 1998/99 campaign in a deal worth almost £3 Million from Rosario Central.
Carbonari went on to score his first goal for the club in November 1998 in a 2-2 draw at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest.
He also scored a stunning individual goal in the return fixture at Pride Park later in the season in a 1-0 success for the Rams - earning him cult status amongst the Derby faithful.
He was a regular in the Derby side in the 1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/01 seasons under Jim Smith.
The defender featured less in the next two seasons and spent some time on loan at Coventry City before returning to Rosario Central in 2003 after making just over 100 appearances for the club.
Make no mistake about it, though, his debut season in English football is his stand-out moment.
He regards himself as lucky that he was able to net twice against the Reds in his first year with the club, as that allowed him to quickly build a relationship with the Derby faithful.
“I had a fantastic time at Derby,” the now 45-year-old said in an interview during a recent visit to the club.
“In the first season when I came to Derby we had a fantastic team.
“I also scored twice against Forest in my first year and I remember both of them; I am very lucky to have done that.
“The one at the City Ground I scored from quite close and I ran to celebrate with the fans; I couldn’t stop myself from running after trying to get to the ball and score.
“The one at Pride Park, I would say, was a fantastic goal. I don’t know what I was doing so far up the pitch; I managed to get past two or three defenders and score. It was a late goal and a nice one too.”
He added: “It was fantastic for the supporters to win that kind of game. Forest were relegated so we didn’t get to play them again during my time at the club.”
Carbonari scored nine times for Derby whilst on the books at Pride Park Stadium.
He possessed a thundering shot often seen at dead-ball situations and this led to him receiving the nickname 'Bazooka'.
While he earned the reputation for his famed free-kicks in his homeland, he admits he was disappointed not to display his unique talent for the Rams more often.
“My free-kicks were something people remembered me for, but I didn’t get to show them that much,” he said.
“I think I got a few, but not many. I very much enjoyed playing for Derby.”
He added: “When I visited it was nice to see a few people at the club are still there and I had some great times in Derby.”
Prior to his departure in 2003, Carbonari’s final game in a Derby shirt came in a 2-2 draw at home to Walsall in October 2002 under John Gregory.
