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Today, defender Amedeo Carboni, celebrating his 40th birthday, joined the "exclusive club" of players who are still playing at such a prestigious age. Former Italian national team member, currently the oldest player in the Spanish "Primera" league, has played in eighteen matches this season for the starting lineup of "The Bats" and does not intend to end his career at least until 2006, when his current contract with last season's UEFA Cup winners will expire. A. Carboni began his career in his hometown team "Arezzo" and later moved to "Bari", where he debuted in professional Italian Cup matches in 1985. After playing for "Empoli" and "Parma", he joined "Sampdoria", where in 1989 he won the Italian Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup against "Anderlecht". After this success, he moved to "AS Roma", where in 1991 he won the Italian Cup again and became one of the team's leaders until 1997, when he moved to "Valencia". Playing in the position of left-back, A. Carboni immediately became a leader for "Valencia" and in 1999 helped win the King's Cup against "Atletico Madrid", reaching the Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001. Later, with the arrival of Argentine Roberto Ayala to the team, they formed one of the best defensive lines in Spain and Europe, helping "Valencia" win the Spanish championship titles in 2002 and 2004. At the end of last season, A. Carboni helped the Spanish team win the UEFA Cup and in the final against "Marseille" he became a record holder - the oldest player to win a European cup and play in the final. "The recent seasons in Valencia have been very enjoyable for me," A. Carboni said on Wednesday. "It's not easy to still be playing and wanting to win at the age of 40."
