Алессандро Чиркати

Alessandro Circati (born 10 October 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Serie A 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, to Gianfranco Circati, who was a professional footballer. Born in the province of Parma and Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, his grandparents resided in Salsomaggiore Terme and orignated from the region. Circati moved to Perth, Australia at the age of one. As a youth during school, Circati played football and rugby league, although focussed more on the former as he was "okay" at rugby. He attended Servite College during high school and idolised Paolo Maldini. Circati began his football career at Perth SC until the age of 14 when he moved to the academy system of Perth Glory. 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. Circati made his competitive debut on 11 June 2024 in a 5–0 win against Palestine in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.