2005. At Parma, Carbone revitalised his career under the leadership of Cesare Prandelli. Parma were in financial trouble and had to sell star players during the season such as Adrian Mutu, Adriano and Hidetoshi Nakata. During the 2003–04 season Carbone and Alberto Gilardino became the main two strikers at the club. After a one-year stint with Vicenza, Carbone signed for a four-game guest contract with the Australian team Sydney FC as a potential replacement for Dwight Yorke, who was the club's previous marquee player. He capped his debut, against Adelaide United, with two assists and a goal. After his debut many believed he would be better than Yorke, but during his third guest game he pulled a hamstring muscle that sidelined him for at least seven weeks. Carbone failed to reach an agreement with Sydney for a long-term contract, ending his short-lived career with Sydney. In 2014, Carbone revealed his disappointment in the injury which ended his spell at the club and he revealed that he would one day like to return to the club as a manager. Upon returning to Italy, Carbone joined northern side Pavia in August 2007 where he was appointed the Captain. In his first season back in the lower leagues, Carbone scored five goals in 29 appearances as Pavia finished fourth from bottom. In total he scored 31 goals in all competitions for the club and his goals helped Pavia avoid relegation. Carbone was often accused of being a mercenary due to his frequently transferring between clubs. He was, however, very popular with the fans of his clubs, particularly at Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City. He also waived much of the money owed to him—approximately £3.32 million—after he had moved to Como, which helped City survive going into administration in 2002. International career Carbone was never capped for Italy at senior level, although he represented the Under-18 side in 1989, scoring 4 goals in 7 appearances, and he made 8 appearances with the Under-21 side between 1989 and 1994, scoring 3 goals; he was a member of the team that won the 1994 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, notably scoring the decisive penalty in the semi-final shoot-out against hosts France. In total he made 15 appearances for the Italian youth squads, scoring 7 goals. Managerial career Pavia After his retirement, Carbone accepted to stay at Pavia as youth coach, guiding the Berretti under-19 team. In March