Joe Gauci

Joe Anthony Gauci (born 4 July 2000) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for club Aston Villa and the Australia national team.

Gauci's career began when he received a scholarship deal with Central Coast Mariners and subsequently joined Adelaide City and Melbourne City before signing a scholarship contract with Adelaide United in 2020. Gauci made his A-League debut in 2021.

Internationally, Gauci received his first call-up to the Australia national team in 2022 as a train-on player and made his debut in a friendly match against Ecuador in 2023.

Early life
Gauci was born on 4 July 2000 in Adelaide, Australia to parents of Maltese descent. At the age of four, Gauci moved to Waiheke Island, New Zealand after his mother was posted as a general manager for Kangaroo Island SeaLink. While living in New Zealand, Gauci joined local club Waiheke United at youth level and, with his brother, traveled by ferry to Auckland where he started playing football as a striker. Gauci began playing as a goalkeeper during a school football camp in New Zealand.

Gauci moved back to Adelaide, aged 11, and joined Cumberland United after a successful trial. During his time at the Clarence Gardens outfit, Gauci represented South Australia in an under-14s national competition held at Coffs Harbour. Gauci eventually joined the National Training Centre program where he was coached by Carl Veart at the time.

Early career
At 16 years old, Gauci caught the attention of scouts while captaining West Torrens Birkalla's under-18s in the National Premier Leagues (NPL). Gauci led his team to the title, triumphing over Adelaide City in the final. In February 2018, Gauci went on trial with Central Coast Mariners although he was not offered a contract initially before the club invited him for another week of training in May. He officially signed a two-year scholarship contract with the Mariners on 19 June 2018. After being released a year later, Gauci signed with Adelaide City mid-season of the NPL South Australia in June 2019. He made eight league appearances in the 2019 season. On 9 September, Gauci signed a scholarship contract with Melbourne City where he took part in the club's youth teams.

Adelaide United
On 7 October 2020, Gauci signed a scholarship deal with his hometown club Adelaide United after serving as a backup goalkeeper at Melbourne City. As first choice goalkeeper James Delianov was ruled out due to failing his fitness test, Gauci made his professional debut on 13 March 2021 in a 3–1 away victory against Melbourne Victory. He kept his first clean sheet in the league on 28 March 2021 in a 1–0 win against Sydney FC. The match was Adelaide's sixth consecutive win of the 2020–21 season, matching the club record in the 2005–06 season. Carl Veart, the head coach of Adelaide United, praised Gauci's performance on the team's success.

On 13 May, Gauci suffered a thigh injury during a warm-up session before a match against Melbourne City which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. In the 2020–21 season, Gauci made 10 league appearances with three clean sheets and extended his contract for two years on 25 May. In the 2021–22 season, Gauci went seven-months without an appearance and was ruled out at the start of the new year with COVID-19. He made his first appearance for the season, as to replace Delianov who sustained an injury mid-season, on 8 January against Melbourne Victory. By the end of the season, Gauci signed a three-year contract extension on 13 April 2023.

In the 2022–23 season, Adelaide United progressed to the A-League finals series. In the elimination final, Gauci kept his first clean sheet in 13 matches, the last being against Macarthur FC on 20 January, in a 2–0 win against Wellington Phoenix on 5 May. Adelaide United ended the season with a loss in the semi-final leg against Melbourne City. In February 2024, midway of the 2023–24 season, Gauci departed Adelaide United with a total of 76 appearances and 16 clean sheets.

Aston Villa
On 1 February 2024, Gauci signed for English Premier League club Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee. The fee was reported to be around $2.5m (around £1.29m). It was confirmed that the player would join up with his new club after the end of Australia's involvement in the ongoing Asian Cup. Gauci was on the bench for the February 2024 game against Nottingham Forest.

On July 17 2024, Gauci made his debut for Aston Villa as a second-half substitute during a 3–0 friendly win against EFL League Two club Walsall.

International career
Other than Australia, Gauci is eligible to represent New Zealand and Malta at international level. In March 2022, Joe Gauci received his first call-up to the Australia national team as a train-on player for the first week of camp, in preparation for the World Cup qualification matches against Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Gauci received his first official call-up to the Australia national team ahead of two friendly matches against Ecuador. During the second friendly match on 28 March, Gauci earned his first international appearance, starting in Australia's 2–1 defeat at Marvel Stadium.

In January 2024, Gauci was called up to the Australia National Team for the 2023 Asian Cup.

Personal life
Gauci has a younger brother, Jed, who plays for The Cove in State League 2 South Australia. The two played against each other for the first time on 18 July 2023 where Adelaide United won 8–1 over The Cove.

In April 2022, Gauci, acting as a representative of Adelaide United, became an ambassador for the Childhood Cancer Association (CCA) in supporting local children with cancer, and their families. To show his commitment and generosity, Gauci vowed to contribute a sum of $20 for every save he made throughout an entire season. As of May 2023, Gauci donated an amount of $1,920 to the association.

Honours
Individual
 * PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2022–23