In a professional career which spanned 22 years and saw him appear in nearly 700 official games, he played mainly for Roma (seven seasons) and Valencia (nine), winning a combined eight major titles for the two clubs.

[7] Carboni assured Caliendo that he was not prepared for the move, but was eventually convinced to join after meeting with Valencia president Paco Roig, and ended up signing for the club on the back of a napkin.

[citation needed] He appeared in 29 La Liga games in his first season, receiving nine yellow cards and three red as they finished in ninth position, in a campaign which saw manager Jorge Valdano being fired after only three rounds, with the player's countryman Claudio Ranieri taking his place.

Under Ranieri's second spell, Valencia began recruiting a number of Italian players, including Bernardo Corradi, Marco Di Vaio, Stefano Fiore and Emiliano Moretti.

[7] Ten days earlier against Atlético Madrid, he received a large ovation from the crowd when playing his last game at Valencia's home ground, the Mestalla.

[7] Carboni was selected by manager Arrigo Sacchi for the squad that appeared at UEFA Euro 1996, playing against the Czech Republic (1–2 loss)[21] and Germany (0–0) in an eventual group stage exit.

[22] On 2 April 1997 he made his eighteenth and final appearance, coming on as a substitute in a 0–0 away draw with Poland for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as Cesare Maldini was in charge.

[20][23] Carboni was an athletic and hard-working attacking full back, who was known for his surging runs along the left flank as well as his longevity, stamina and defensive consistency.