and played for a season at Villa Park, His most memorable moment came when he scored a hat-trick against Leeds United in a 3–2 win in the FA Cup, including a spectacular long range strike from 35 yards; the day before the match, Villa manager John Gregory had refused to let the homesick Italian return to his homeland, insisting he would feel better after scoring against Leeds. This, added to his strikes against Darlington and Everton, meant he contributed five goals in Villa's cup run that season. Carbone started in the FA Cup final alongside strike partner Dion Dublin in a 1–0 loss to Chelsea in the 2000 final, with Chelsea winning the match 1–0 after a goal by Roberto Di Matteo, Carbone nearly scored when his goal bound shot was cleared off the line by Frank Leboeuf. The loss meant Carbone earned an FA Cup runners-up medal by playing in the final. At the start of the 2000–01 season, several clubs including Fiorentina, Napoli, Perugia, Everton, Coventry City and Bradford City showed an interest in Carbone's services. Carbone was especially strongly linked with a move to Fiorentina to return to Serie A as a replacement for playmaker Rui Costa who was linked with leaving the club. Bradford City Bradford City, who had just escaped relegation from the Premiership the previous season and were aiming to establish themselves in the top flight, made the best offer to Carbone and he joined the Yorkshire club on a free transfer. The club also signed Stan Collymore to play alongside him. Despite some disillusionment over Carbone's wages, he scored some memorable goals and endeared himself to the Valley Parade faithful. Bradford City were relegated and, although he played the start of the following season with them as well as pledging his future to them, he later moved on loan to first Derby County, where he scored once against former club Aston Villa, and then Middlesbrough, where he again scored once in the league against Aston Villa. In 2002, after Bradford chairman Geoffrey Richmond informed him that the club would fold if they continued to pay his £40,000-a-week wages. Carbone, revealed in later years that he did not want to be known as the man who made Bradford City fold and he gave up £3.2 million. Later career Carbone left Bradford and returned to Italy with Como and played for Parma from 2003 to