Alessandro Circati Faces Milan After Rapid Rise From Parma to Benfica

Alessandro Circati arrives at San Siro with a story that has crossed Fidenza, Perth and Parma before carrying him to Benfica. At 22, the Australian defender is preparing for a Europa League night against Milan that also measures how quickly a player can move from a survival fight in Serie A to the demands of a club expected to compete for every trophy.

The coach and the club

Circati’s rise was built during Parma’s 2025-26 campaign under Carlos Cuesta, where his performances persuaded Benfica to turn a long-standing interest into a deal. In mid-August, the Portuguese club paid €20 million to Parma for the centre-back.

The step has brought a different kind of pressure. At Parma, the club’s immediate target was to remain in Serie A; at Benfica, the expectation is to pursue the league, the domestic cups and European competitions every season.

“I felt the difference between Parma and Benfica,” Circati said before the match. “It is not so much about the club itself, but the mentality. At Benfica you play each game to win the championship, the cup or any other competition. At Parma, naturally, the objective is survival.”

He has adapted quickly enough to establish himself in the side, and will start against Milan at the Meazza. His opponent is expected to be Gonçalo Ramos, Milan’s record signing after a €70 million fee plus bonuses. The Portuguese forward also won the last two Champions League titles with Paris Saint-Germain.

Circati has already faced leading Serie A attackers during his Parma years, but marking Ramos on a European evening in Milan represents another level of occasion.

From Perth to the Socceroos

Although he was born in Fidenza to Italian parents and appeared for Italy’s Under-20 team, Circati considers himself fully Australian. His family moved to Perth when he was one, and Australia became home from the beginning.

Italian was spoken by his parents at home, while Circati grew up speaking English. Football was only part of his childhood: he also spent time surfing, playing cricket and Australian rules football, snorkelling and climbing trees.

His decision to represent Australia followed naturally. He received his first Socceroos call-up in 2023 and played in all four of Australia’s matches at last summer’s World Cup. That international run also confirmed that he had put the cruciate ligament injury suffered in autumn 2024 behind him.

A defender shaped in the parks

Circati had once imagined himself as a striker. His father, a former footballer, saw a different future and encouraged him to become a defender, working with him in Perth’s parks on individual sessions designed to improve his heading.

Those early lessons have taken him from Parma’s battle for Serie A safety to Benfica’s pursuit of silverware, with San Siro now the latest stage. For Italy and coach Roberto Mancini, Circati’s development may yet become a reminder of a player who chose another international path.