Alessandro Circati #3

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In the dressing room at Parma several years ago, Circati walked up to goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon – who helped ruin the Socceroos’ World Cup dreams in 2006 – seeking advice. The teenager had to choose between Italy, his country of birth, and Australia, where he grew up, over who he would represent at international level. “What do you feel inside? Forget about everything else,” Buffon said, according to a Circati interview with ESPN. The young defender chose the Socceroos and has, despite losing most of a year to an ACL injury in 2024, already captained his national side by the age of 22. As a composed and skilful centre-back already proven in Serie A, Circati comes into the 2026 World Cup as the Socceroos’ most polished defender. There may be no one in the Australian squad more important than him to the coach, Tony Popovic.

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