Alessandro Circati

Alessandro Circati (born 10 October 2003) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Serie B club Parma.[1]

Alessandro Circati
Personal information
Full name Alessandro Circati
Date of birth (2003-10-10) 10 October 2003
Place of birth Fidenza, Italy
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Central defender
Team information
Current team
 Parma
Number 39
Youth career
2014–2016 Perth SC
2017–2021 Perth Glory
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Perth Glory NPL 21 (2)
2021– Parma 19 (0)
International career‡
2022– Italy U20 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 May 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:40, 10 January 2023 (UTC)

Early life

Circati was born in Fidenza, Italy but moved to Australia at the age of one, where he resided in the suburb areas of Perth ever since.[2] He attended Servite College during his high school years, where he developed a passion for football and drew inspiration from his idol, Paulo Maldini.[3] 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.[2][3][4][5]

Club career

Perth Glory

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.[4] 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.[6] The same year, he won the U20 State League Reserves Cup against Cockburn City in the final at Dorrien Gardens.[7]

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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]

Parma

Circati underwent trials with several European clubs, including Leicester and Reading in England, where he spent a month before having to move on due to the complications brought about by Brexit.[2][11] 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.[12] 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.[12][13]

2021–2023

On 10 January 2022, after a successful trial period with the club, Circati was announced to have signed a two year contract expring in 2024 with Parma.[14][15][16] He made his U18 debut for his side against Genoa, starting the match and winning 6–1 for his side.[17] Displaying a lot of talent and consistent performance in the youth sector,[18] 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.[19] On 26 February 2022, Circati made his professional debut in Serie B, starting for Parma in a match against SPAL.[20][21] 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.[22] 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.[23]

Circati made an extra time appearance in the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia against Inter Milan, coming off the bench in 106th minute of the match.[24][25] 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.[26][27]

International career

Circati, being of dual Australian and Italian nationality, received offers from both countries to represent them in international football.[28][29] Ultimately, he chose to play for Italy. However, in a later interview, he stated that he remains open to the possibility of playing for Australia in the future.[30][31]

Italy

In March 2022, Circati was selected by Italy U20 for two friendly matches against Germany and Norway.[32] 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.[33] In September 2022, he was called up to the Italy U21 alongside Australian-born player Cristian Volpato.[34] He was an unused substitute in the friendly against Japan on 26 September 2022.[35]

Personal life

Alessandro is the son of former Italian football player Gianfranco Circati.[36]

References
  1. Alessandro Circati at Soccerway
  2. Davidson, John (10 March 2021). "Aussie defender Circati following in footsteps of Socceroos greats". SBS Sport.
  3. "Servite College | Perseverance and Resilience". Servite. iServi News. 30 August 2019.
  4. "PGFC Academy starlet snapped up Serie A club". KEEPUP. Perth Glory. 10 March 2021.
  5. "Alessandro Circati is Parma's next great Aussie hope". The Roar. 1 December 2021.
  6. "Murray hat-trick steers Academy Under-20s to Cup glory". KEEPUP. Perth Glory. 22 July 2019.
  7. "Academy First Team taste defeat, but joy for U-18s and U-20s". KEEPUP. Perth Glory. 1 September 2019.
  8. "Glory edged out by Gulls". KEEPUP. Perth Glory. 15 July 2019.
  9. "Glory edged out in final game of season". KEEPUP. Perth Glory. 27 January 2020.
  10. "Fornaroli, Kilkenny and Celia claim 2019/20 MGP honours". KEEPUP. Perth Glory. 10 November 2020.
  11. Abbott, Matt (25 March 2022). "Former Leicester trialist Circati explains reason behind Serie B switch". LeicestershireLive.
  12. Oreglia, Carlo (29 January 2022). "Di padre in figlio: l'italo-australiano Alessandro Circati a Parma 25 anni dopo il padre Gianfranco". SBS Language (in Italian).
  13. Coast, Tom (24 March 2022). "Player chose another club over Leicester 'to go and live with grandparents' - 'Returning home'". Sport Witness.
  14. "CIRCATI AND AWUA SIGN FIRST PRO DEALS". Parma Calcio 1913. 10 January 2022.
  15. "Perth teen is Parma's next Aussie hope". The West Australian. 12 January 2022.
  16. Paquette, Catherine (11 January 2022). "Former A-League Youth Perth starlet signs with Italian Serie B giants". FTBL.
  17. Manara, Fabio (3 March 2021). "Circati: "Papà Gianfranco un bravo allenatore. Felice di essere a Parma"". Forza Parma (in Italian).
  18. "Alessandro Circati, la giovane speranza del Parma". Liga B (in Italian). BKT Series. 30 August 2022.
  19. Rugari, Vince (10 October 2022). "Socceroos make pitch for young Italian star being nurtured by Buffon". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  20. "Alessandro Circati dopo Parma-Spal: 'Una Bella Emozione, ringrazio il Mister E I Miei Compagni'". Parma Calcio 1913 (in Italian). 26 February 2022.
  21. "Perth graduate's Italian breakthrough comes with Buffon's backing". KEEPUP. 2 March 2022.
  22. ""It Was My Moment": Circati Relishes Italian Football Debut". David Ferrini. Lega Football. 28 February 2022.
  23. Farina, Michele (23 December 2022). "La famiglia nel pallone: Gianfranco e Alessandro Circati". 11contro11 (in Italian).
  24. "Internazionale v Parma Starting XIs, 10/01/2023, Coppa Italia | Goal.com". Goal. 11 January 2023.
  25. "Inter necesitó del tiempo extra para ganarle 2-1 al Parma, de Gianluigi Buffon, en la Copa de Italia". Gol Caracol (in Spanish). 10 January 2023.
  26. "Como-Parma, Circati espulso al 61′: salterà la sfida contro il Palermo". Mediagol (in Italian). 18 March 2023.
  27. "Parma: Circati salterà la gara contro il Palermo per squalifica". Ilovepalermocalcio (in Italian). Ilovepalermocalcio editorial team. 19 March 2023.
  28. "L'Australia pensa a Circati". Forza Parma (in Italian). 7 September 2022.
  29. Troop, Guglielmo (10 March 2023). "L'Italia guarda il Parma, Nicolato: "Seguiamo anche Circati"". ParmaToday (in Italian).
  30. Wyper, Cameron (21 April 2022). "Parma's Alessandro Circati on "great honour" of Italy and Australia call-ups and playing with Gianluigi Buffon". Kick360.
  31. "Cristian Volpato e Alessandro Circati sceglieranno l'Italia piuttosto che l'Australia?". TPI (in Italian). 8 March 2023.
  32. Buratti, Simone (22 March 2022). "Otto crociati in Nazionale: debutto assoluto per Circati con l'Italia U20". ilParmense.net (in Italian).
  33. "Italia U20, buon debutto per Circati: gli azzurrini strapazzano la Norvegia". Parma Live (in Italian).
  34. "CROCIATI NATIONAL CALL-UPS – FIRST CALL-UP FOR ALESSANDRO CIRCATI WITH ITALY UNDER 21s". Parma Calcio 1913. 19 September 2022.
  35. "国際親善試合 日程・結果". JFA｜公益財団法人日本サッカー協会 (in Japanese). 26 September 2022.
  36. "Parma's Alessandro Circati on "great honour" of Italy and Australia call-ups and playing with Gianluigi Buffon". kick360.com.au.

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