“AND It’s a great honor, it’s a privilege. I’m over the moon, I couldn’t be happier. I think it’s a reward for many years of hard work. I’m very happy to be here and I can’t wait to play for Benfica,” Circati told BTV.
The Australian defined himself as a “versatile” player, who can play in a “four or three” defense, “aggressive” and who likes to “keep possession of the ball and dictate the pace of the game”.
“I know it (adaptation) will take some time, but I’m going to try to make it as quick as possible, with the help of my teammates and staff. I think I’ll fit in well”, he said, guaranteeing that he wants to win “as many titles as possible”.
The ‘reds’ did not communicate the value of the deal, but, according to Portuguese media, Benfica will pay around 18 million euros.
Circati, 22, was born in Italy, but moved to Australia at a young age, starting to play football at Perth Glory’s training schools, before heading to Parma in 2021.
He made his debut for the Ducali main team a year later, in February 2022, still in Serie B, and since then, he has played 96 games and two goals for the northern Italian team, who have played in Serie A in the last two seasons.
In between, during the 2024/25 season, he suffered a serious knee injury, which sidelined him for several months.
The central defender was even called up to Italy’s youth teams, but ended up becoming an international for Australia, including participating in the last World Cup, in which the soccer teams reached the round of 32.
Furthermore, Circati was a total player in the Australians’ four meetings in the competition, with Türkiye, the United States, Paraguay and Egypt.
He is Benfica’s fifth reinforcement for the 2026/27 season, after Clément Lenglet, Gabriel Índio, Jakub Kaminski and Jhon Durán.
