Alessandro Circati Player Profile

Name: Alessandro Circati.

D.O.B: 10/10/2003.

Age: 22.

Height: 1.90m.

Weight: 78kg.

Preferred Foot: Right.

Position: Centre-back.

Current Club: Parma Calcio 1913.

Australian Debut: 18/10/2023.

Cap Number: #637.

Jersey Number: #3.

Born: Fidenza, Italy.

Raised: Perth, Western Australia.

Citizenship: Australia / Italy.

Current Market Value: €12.00m.

Highest Market Value: €12.00m.

Contract Expiry: 30 June 2029.

Senior Club Appearances: 83.

Senior Club Goals: 2.

Australia Caps: 9.

Australia Goals: 0.

Alessandro Circati Bio

Alessandro Circati is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; a composed, commanding centre-back who has already established himself as a regular Serie A starter at just 22 years old and is regarded as a cornerstone of the Australian men's soccer team's defence.

Born on 10 October 2003 in Fidenza, Italy, to former professional footballer Gianfranco Circati, who had his own career in Italian football including a stint at Parma, Alessandro moved to Perth, Western Australia at the age of one.

He grew up attending Servite College in Perth and idolised Paolo Maldini, the man whose defensive elegance he would later draw comparisons to himself. Football runs deep in the Circati family and Australia is all the richer for it.

Alessandro Circati Club Career

Circati began his football journey at Perth SC before joining the Perth Glory academy in 2017 at the age of 14.

He played for the Glory's NPL youth sides, winning the State League Reserves Cup in 2019 and earning the club's Most Glorious Youth Player Award at the end of the 2020 season.

Looking to test himself in Europe, Circati underwent trials with several English clubs including Leicester City and Reading, but a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-Brexit regulations on young overseas players complicated any potential deal.

Influenced by his father's connection to the city and his own ties to the region, he trialled at Parma in early 2021, earning an academy contract in March of that year. He signed his first professional contract with the club in January 2022.

From the outset at Parma, Circati was taken under the wing of legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who served as a mentor during his first season at the club, helping him settle into professional football.

Over the following two seasons, Circati developed rapidly. In the 2023-24 Serie B season he scored his first professional goal in a 1-1 draw against Sampdoria and made 32 appearances across all competitions as Parma won promotion back to Serie A for the first time since 2020-21.

His performances that season earned him the Best Defender accolade at the Gran Galà del Calcio Italian Football Awards in November 2024.

His return to Serie A in 2024-25 was interrupted by a serious ACL knee injury in September 2024 that kept him sidelined until April 2025.

He returned strongly, and across the 2025-26 Serie A campaign he made over 30 league appearances, cementing his status as one of the division's best young defenders and signing a contract extension with Parma in February 2025 that keeps him at the home of prosciutto long term.

Alessandro Circati International Career

Circati was courted by both Italy and Australia for international representation, having represented Italy at under-20 level in March 2022, making his debut in a 5-0 win over Norway, and later being called into the Italy under-21 squad.

On 6 June 2023, after conversations with then-Socceroos coach Graham Arnold and a discussion with his family, he made the decision to commit to the Australian men's soccer team, rejecting a further Italian youth call-up.

He was welcomed into the squad by Mathew Ryan, who helped him settle in, drawing on Circati's shared experience at Parma with Gianluigi Buffon.

He made his Australian debut on 18 October 2023 in the Soccer Ashes against New Zealand at Brentford Community Stadium, playing a part in Harry Souttar's opening goal in a 2-0 win.

He made his competitive debut in June 2024, starting in a 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over Palestine.

In September 2025, Circati was named captain of the Australian men's soccer team for the second leg of the Soccer Ashes against New Zealand; just his seventh appearance for the national side.

He also scored for Australia in the 2026 FIFA Series win over Curaçao in March 2026, capping a remarkable rise to international prominence.

At just 22, heading into his first World Cup, Circati represents the future of Australian defending: technically refined through years in the Italian system, physically dominant, and composed beyond his years.

He is set to be a key figure in Tony Popovic's backline in the United States.