Alessandro Circati

Alessandro Circati (born 10 October 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Serie B club Parma.

Born in Italy and a former youth international for Italy, he plays for the Australian national team.

Circati was born in Fidenza, Italy but moved to Australia at the age of one, where he resided in the suburban areas of Perth ever since.

He attended Servite College during his high school years, where he developed a passion for football and drew inspiration from his idol, Paolo Maldini.

Circati began his football career with local club Perth SC before transitioning to the academy system for Perth Glory, where his talent and potential were quickly recognised by the coaching staff.

Circati made an extra time appearance in the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia against Inter Milan, coming off the bench in the 106th minute of the match.

During a league match against Como on 18 March 2023, Circati was shown a red card in the 61st minute due to a challenge with Patrick Cutrone, resulting in a one-game ban from the upcoming match against Palermo on April 1.

After an impressive defensive performance, Circati received Man of the match after keeping decorated striker Joel Pohjanpalo from scoring in a 2–1 win over Venezia on 20 May.

On 8 June, Circati renewed his contract with Parma, tying him with the club until the end of the 2026–27 season.

Circati scored his first professional goal on 24 September in a 1–1 draw to Sampdoria, extending Parma's 16-game unbeaten streak during the 2023–24 Serie B season.

Circati, being of dual Australian and Italian nationality, received offers from both countries to represent them in international football.

In March 2022, Circati was selected by Italy U20 for two friendly matches against Germany and Norway.

On 28 March, he made his debut against Norway as a starter and helped keep a clean sheet in a 5–0 win for the Azzurri.

In September 2022, he was called up to the Italy U21 alongside Australian-born player Cristian Volpato.

He was an unused substitute in the friendly against Japan on 26 September 2022.

On 6 June 2023, after talks with Graham Arnold and a phone call with his family, Circati made the decision to represent Australia rather than Italy, rejecting the Gli Azzurrini call-up to their youth team.

He was added to the 23-man squad set to play against Argentina in Beijing, and was settled into the squad by Mathew Ryan.

However, Circati was an unused substitute in two friendlies with the Socceroos, sitting on the bench in the matches against Argentina and Mexico (on 12 September).

Circati made his debut on 18 October 2023 in a friendly match against New Zealand at Brentford Community Stadium.

He played a part in the opening goal scored by Harry Souttar and kept a clean sheet in the process as Australia won 2–0 over their rivals.

Alessandro is the son of former Italian football player Gianfranco Circati who played in Perth with Perth SC and Perth Glory respectively.

As a youth during school, Circati focused mainly on football.

He was applauded by Glory's academy coach and former Sydney FC player Terry McFlynn for his mentality stating, "He was always first there, last to leave, gave everything [...] he had this drive to go as far as he can, with a great mentality."

Circati joined Perth Glory in 2017, initially playing for the club's youth teams in the National Premier Leagues (NPL) youth competitions in Western Australia.

During his time in the youth system, he helped lead the U20 team to the league title in 2019 following a win against Inglewood United.

The same year, he won the U20 State League Reserves Cup against Cockburn City in the final at Dorrien Gardens.

Circati impressive performances in the youth league led him to being promoted to the NPL senior squad, where he scored his first senior goal against Sorrento FC on 15 July 2019.

He also played in the A-League Youth competition for Perth Glory, however, his side would struggle to find a win and finished last by the end of the campaign.

By the end of the 2020 season, Circati received Most Glorious Youth Player Award by Perth Glory at the club's award ceremony, recognising his performances whilst playing with the academy.

Circati underwent trials with several European clubs, including Leicester and Reading in England, where he spent three months before having to move on due to the complications brought about by Brexit.

According to reports, Leicester was considering making an offer to the young player, but due to his Italian passport and young age, finalising a deal proved to be difficult.

Circati would soon turn to Parma after hearing of interest rumours, influenced by his father's connections to the club and his grandparents who were living in Salsomaggiore.

On 10 March 2021, after a successful trial period with the club, Circati joined Parma in the youth ranks.

On 10 January 2022, Circati was announced to have signed his first professional contract, a two-year contract expiring in 2024, with Parma.

Displaying a lot of talent and consistent performance in the youth sector, he was promoted to train with the first team, sharing a dressing room with experienced Italian international Gianluigi Buffon, who served as a mentor to Circati when he first joined the club.

On 26 February 2022, Circati made his professional debut in Serie B, starting for Parma in a match against SPAL.

He played as a centre-back as part of a back three line-up and was tasked with marking Giuseppe Rossi, an experienced striker who has played with Manchester United.

He managed to keep Rossi from scoring and contributed to a clean sheet for his team as Parma went on to win the match 4–0.

At the conclusion of the 2021–22 season, he made a total of 6 league appearances and 2 assists in the games against Cosenza and Alessandria.