The 18-year-old centre-back joined the side in 2020 after moving to Europe to pursue international career opportunities.

He signed with Parma after a successful trial period with the club.

“It was a very exciting moment for me, my family and my friends after all the sacrifices I’ve made,” Circati said.

“I left my family and friends behind in Perth and made the choice to follow my dream.”

In some ways, Circati’s first step in his football career marks a return to his roots.

A dual Australian-Italian citizen, Circati was born in Fidenza, a mere 23 kilometres from the city of Parma.

The young star migrated to Perth with his family when he was seven months old.

“My dad thought there was a better future for me and my brother in Australia,” he explained.

“He’d played soccer in Perth for a year before I was born and he enjoyed the life there, so he made the decision to move our family there.”

Circati now follows in the footsteps of his father, Gianfranco, who started his career at Parma and made 15 appearances for Perth Glory in the 1998-99 NSL season.

With football running in his blood, Circati said playing at a professional level has been a lifelong dream of his.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a passion for football and wanted to pursue it as a career,” he said.

“But at a young age it’s only a dream; I’m very happy that dream has become a reality and I hope it continues to be.”

Circati spent his childhood playing at Perth Soccer Club up until U/15, but in order to take the next step, he decided to move to Perth Glory, progressing through the U/16 and U/20 teams and eventually playing for Perth Glory in the Youth League.

In the 2019-20 season, he won the Most Glorious Youth Player Award to the excitement of his agent and former Perth Glory coach, Mich D’Avray.

“I watched Ale’s progress closely and was impressed with what I saw,” D’Avray said.

“He’s a tough, uncompromising defender.

“His focus and determination to succeed is the main reason why Ale has deservedly been rewarded with this professional contract at Parma.”

Circati’s overseas journey began in England with Leicester City then Reading, but after complications with Brexit and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to venture onwards to Italy.

The rising star said leaving his life in Perth and moving abroad on his own at such a young age was a huge but necessary sacrifice in order to realise his dream.

“It was a real change for me and I was just getting a feel of what it could be like to play professionally overseas,” he said of those early days.

“Sometimes I had doubts about whether anything would come of it, but I’ve always believed in myself and everyone around me has as well.”

Circati’s determination paid off and the stars aligned when the opportunity presented itself to sign with Parma, allowing him to carry on his father’s legacy.

“It’s a great honour to continue the family tradition,” he said.

“It was like it was meant to be that I signed with Parma.”

Alessandro Circati in action. (Photo: Tom McCarthy)

Circati is now settling into his new life at Parma, living and breathing football every day.

His weeks are filled with training, gym sessions and games, all with the aim of increasing his tactical and defensive skills.

“I love the new challenge and I really enjoy how quickly things can change from day to day,” he said.

“My family in Australia are all behind me; they’re such a big support and I just want to make them proud.

“Having family in Italy is also very helpful for my mental wellbeing; having a place to stay and being in a family environment is really important.”

Having played football in Australia, England and Italy, Circati noted significant differences in terms of the game in all three countries.

“I’ve noticed that the game here in Italy is very defensive and a lot more tactical,” he said.

“It’s well known that the Italian national team thrive in the defensive aspect of the game.

“Whereas in England, I found that the speed of the game was a lot quicker and it was very transitional.

“I feel like in Australia, it’s a great mix of both of them.”

Circati is capitalising on playing at such a high level, where the quality of football is allowing him to gain invaluable experience and develop as a player.

He is also making the most of playing alongside Italian legends, such as Parma captain Gianluigi Buffon, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time and is one of the few recorded players to have made over 1100 professional career appearances.

“Playing alongside Buffon is a great learning experience; it hasn’t really sunk in that he’s my teammate,” Circati said.

“He’s played at the top for so many years and had a great career.

“Every day I try to learn what I can from him and really listen to his advice, not only as a football player but as a man.”

While Circati has his sights set on making his professional debut – which could happen in the blink of an eye – his goals for the next two years with Parma are to get some minutes under his belt and continue to grow as a player.

“Parma is where I want to be,” he concluded.

“I hope to continue to improve and make my way into a permanent first team position player; after that I don’t know what the future holds for me.”