{"id":33501,"date":"2026-06-14T04:40:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T04:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/14\/gigi-buffon-italy-and-the-making-of-socceroos-star-alessandro-circati\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T04:40:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T04:40:16","slug":"gigi-buffon-italy-and-the-making-of-socceroos-star-alessandro-circati","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/14\/gigi-buffon-italy-and-the-making-of-socceroos-star-alessandro-circati\/","title":{"rendered":"Gigi Buffon, Italy and the making of Socceroos star Alessandro Circati"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"byline-wrap\">\n<ul class=\"authors byline-authors\">\n<li class=\"single-author\">\n<p>Adam Sheldon<\/p>\n<div class=\"author-overlay\"><a class=\"icon-font-after icon-close-solid-after\" href=\"#\">Close<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>Adam Sheldon is a Brisbane-based sports journalist for ESPN.<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Multiple Authors<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"timestamp \">Jun 13, 2026, 01:06 AM ET<\/span><\/div>\n<p>When the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/team\/_\/id\/628\/australia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Socceroos<\/a> begin their 2026 <a data-league-guid=\"34f478c4-cf9a-35da-abd5-33db021e09d2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/worldcup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FIFA World Cup<\/a> campaign on Saturday, their defence will be anchored by Italian-born 22-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/soccer\/player\/_\/id\/332081\/alessandro-circati\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alessandro Circati<\/a> &#8212; one of <a data-league-guid=\"9c1e0753-2757-3b78-a6ed-1b595caf8191\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/league\/_\/name\/ITA.1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Serie A<\/a>&#8216;s most highly rated young central defenders, who has chosen the green-and-gold of Australia over the blue of <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"e5383473-2c2c-672e-5c37-253cfce49818\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/team?id=162\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Italy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite his young age, Circati is already vice-captain of <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"2b16729f-66de-7ff6-e30e-aefbea7c82df\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/team?id=115\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parma<\/a> and popular with the club&#8217;s supporters, who have christened him <em>Il Muro<\/em> &#8212; &#8220;The Wall&#8221; &#8212; for his rock-solid defensive abilities.<\/p>\n<p>Circati started 31 Serie A matches this season and helped Parma keep 11 clean sheets as they secured 13th place. The <em>Crociati<\/em> recorded an extra nine points in 2025-26 compared with the season before, when Circati was only fit enough to play six times.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/story\/_\/id\/48811876\/socceroos-world-cup-daily-news-updates-all-need-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Socceroos World Cup Daily: Popovic says Tour\u00e9 fit to play against T\u00fcrkiye<\/a><br \/>&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/story\/_\/id\/49006146\/fifa-world-cup-jackson-irvine-ridden-roller-coaster-season\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jackson Irvine has ridden a roller coaster season to the FIFA World Cup<\/a><br \/>&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/story\/_\/id\/49016836\/mohamed-toure-nestory-irankunda-thing-unites-socceroos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mohamed Tour\u00e9, Nestory Irankunda and the thing that unites the Socceroos<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Understandably, his form has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"87fe4844-a7cf-c88e-2ebe-aeb57325e990\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/team?id=111\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Juventus<\/a> and <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"20179aab-ac9f-93cf-f139-404e49a3f3cb\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/team?id=114\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Napoli<\/a>. A strong World Cup would only further cement the Socceroos defender&#8217;s reputation. But the transfer noise doesn&#8217;t faze him.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I just get on with what I do. Things are written all the time. You have to turn a blind eye to it and deal with what&#8217;s actually in front of you,&#8221; Circati told ESPN.<\/p>\n<p>For now, that is the World Cup. But the road to the tournament, and the Italian top-flight, has been anything but straightforward for the self-described &#8220;battler.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>After progressing through <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"93161e6f-7797-ff76-c2a4-d9cf36cdc25d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/team?id=5322\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Perth Glory<\/a>&#8216;s academy, Circati, then 17, looked set for a move to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/team\/_\/id\/375\/leicester-city\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leicester City<\/a>, who were in the <a data-league-guid=\"6949f3af-300c-35f1-beab-b95669eedd38\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/league\/_\/name\/ENG.1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Premier League<\/a>, but Brexit-related passport issues and Covid squashed the move.<\/p>\n<p>With Australia&#8217;s borders shut, Circati found himself stuck in Italy after visiting family. Parma &#8212; one of the many clubs Circati&#8217;s father Gianfranco played for during his own career before deciding to settle the family in Perth &#8212; was the first club to offer him somewhere to train.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I came to Parma, trained, did some sessions, and from there they basically said they&#8217;d like to keep me,&#8221; Circati said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline inline-photo full\">\n<figure><picture><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/a.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2026%2F0613%2Fr1672243_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&amp;w=570&amp;format=jpg, https:\/\/a.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2026%2F0613%2Fr1672243_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&amp;w=1140&amp;cquality=40&amp;format=jpg 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 376px)\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/a.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2026%2F0613%2Fr1672243_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&amp;w=375, https:\/\/a.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2026%2F0613%2Fr1672243_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&amp;w=750&amp;cquality=40&amp;format=jpg 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 375px)\"><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\" data-image-container=\".inline-photo\" height=\"320\" width=\"570\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"photoCaption\">Alessandro Circati&#8217;s journey to the World Cup has featured setbacks, sacrifice, and a defining choice.\u00a0<cite>Joosep Martinson &#8211; FIFA\/FIFA<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p>He started with Parma&#8217;s youth side before impressing in a friendly against the first team. The next day he was told he would be training permanently with the senior squad. Three months later, he made his professional debut in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/league\/_\/name\/ita.2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Serie B<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In training you can see that you belong there. But there&#8217;s a big difference between competing in training and going into a game. Just because you can compete in training doesn&#8217;t mean you&#8217;re automatically good enough on Saturday or Sunday,&#8221; Circati explained.<\/p>\n<p>As his reputation rose in Italy, Circati faced a big choice. Born in Fidenza in northern Italy, but raised in Perth, he was eligible to represent both the Socceroos and the <em>Azzurri <\/em>and was twice selected for Italy at under-20 level. While some dual-national players agonise over the choice, Circati knew where his heart lay.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module-iframe-wrapper \">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Socceroos in Vancouver | ESPN&#039;s Socceroos Cup Diaries - June 13 #fifaworldcup  #worldcup\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xNWE3PI9Th0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;I was always the more Australian one in my family. My parents spoke to me in Italian, and I&#8217;d answer in English. All my mates and coaches were from Perth,&#8221; Circati said.<\/p>\n<p>His mind was made up following a discussion with one of Italian football&#8217;s greatest players, World Cup-winning goalkeeper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/soccer\/player\/_\/id\/12947\/gianluigi-buffon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gianluigi Buffon<\/a>, who was playing for Parma in the final act of his glittering 28-year career. During a team meal, Buffon &#8212; who also knew Circati&#8217;s father during his own career &#8212; stopped him as he walked past.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He said: &#8216;What do you actually want to do? What do you feel?'&#8221; Circati recalled.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I told him exactly how I felt. And he said: &#8216;Go with your feeling. Do what you feel is the right thing.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He was like a teacher, like a father figure.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>So, in 2023, Circati chose Australia. Less than two years later, he became the youngest Socceroos captain in 44 years.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline float-r inline-track\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-lazyload=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/a.espncdn.com\/photo\/2026\/0607\/r1669280_608x342_16-9.png\" class=\"round lazyload\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>ESPN GROUP STAGE CHALLENGE!<br \/>How well do you know your World Cup Football? Think you can pick how each group will finish? Take the ESPN challenge!<br \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><button class=\"button-alt full-width md stand-alone\" onclick=\"window.location='https:\/\/fantasy.espn.com.au\/games\/mens-group-stage-challenge-2026\/entry';\">SIGN UP!<\/button><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>After establishing himself as a starter at Parma and helping them reach promotion to Serie A, six games into the club&#8217;s return to the top-flight in September 2024, Circati&#8217;s knee gave way in training, and he suffered an ACL injury. The injury tested him. There were days the knee was swollen, sore, uncertain &#8230; but Circati kept plugging away.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When you overcome an obstacle like that, you come out knowing you&#8217;ve overcome something bigger and harder than most people ever face,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Many young Australians have headed to Europe and come home early, but Circati never seriously considered it, even after the injury.<\/p>\n<p>As he worked his way back to full fitness, Circati marked down Australia&#8217;s crucial World Cup qualifier against <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"2b08760f-e2eb-50c1-872e-2baa869daefa\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/team?id=627\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Japan<\/a> in Perth on June 5, 2025, as a target. But ahead of the game, Socceroos manager Tony Popovic phoned the centre back to explain why he would not be selected.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module-iframe-wrapper \">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"POPOVIC BREAKING NEWS! | ESPN&#039;s Socceroos Cup Diaries - June 12 #fifaworldcup  #worldcup\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y7ej_m-IveM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;He told me I wasn&#8217;t going to be in camp because they didn&#8217;t want to be responsible for my first game back after such a serious injury. They also felt it wouldn&#8217;t be respectful to Parma if the club hadn&#8217;t played me yet,&#8221; Circati told ESPN.<\/p>\n<p>Circati accepted the decision. Four days later, he played 90 minutes for Parma. The following week, another full game.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;After that I got another call [from Popovic] saying: &#8216;Actually, we&#8217;d like to bring you into camp,'&#8221; Circati said. &#8220;It was my dream to play in Perth against Japan with World Cup qualification on the line, so I said yes straight away.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Circati played 90 minutes as Australia pulled off a shock win to all but secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup. At full-time, he broke down in tears.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was a build-up of many things and many situations I&#8217;d gone through that year,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It felt like all that work had finally paid off.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Now, as he prepares for Australia&#8217;s World Cup opener against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/team\/_\/id\/465\/turkiye\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">T\u00fcrkiye<\/a> &#8212; a tournament in which Italy has failed to qualify &#8212; he tells ESPN: &#8220;I&#8217;m happy with the decision I made.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Adam Sheldon Close Adam Sheldon is a Brisbane-based sports journalist for ESPN. Multiple Authors Jun 13, 2026, 01:06 AM ET<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_animmysite_disable_animation":false,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/a.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2026%2F0613%2Fr1672243_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[213],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending-sports-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}