Miguel Di Pizio

Miguel Di Pizio (born 4 January 2006) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for A-League Men club Central Coast Mariners.

Early life
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Di Pizio started playing football at the age of four. His father is of Italian descent, and his mother is of Mauritian descent. He attended Mamre Anglican School, located in Kemps Creek, and Westfields Sports High School, representing in both schools' football teams. He has an older brother, Gianni Di Pizio, who also played at Western Sydney Wanderers Youth and Central Coast Mariners Academy. Di Pizio is of Italian descent and idolised Argentine footballer Paulo Dybala.

Central Coast Mariners
A youth academy player of Western Sydney Wanderers, Di Pizio signed a scholarship contract (his first professional contract) with Central Coast Mariners under head coach Nick Montgomery on 12 April 2023. Di Pizio made his professional debut as an 85th-minute substitute on 22 April 2023 in a 3–1 league win against F3 rivals Newcastle Jets. He was added to the Mariners' 2023 A-League Grand Final squad, but was not named on the match squad on the day.

On 29 November 2023, Di Pizio scored his first professional goal in the 2023–24 AFC Cup in a 1–1 home draw to Terengganu. Di Pizio made his starting debut for the Mariners on 8 December 2023 in a 4–0 victory over Western United at Central Coast Stadium.

Di Pizio was part of the Mariners' Championship, Premiership and AFC Cup winning 2023-24 season. Di Pizio became the youngest ever goalscorer in an A-League Grand Final during the club's 3-1 victory over Melbourne Victory at Central Coast Stadium.

International career
In July 2022, Di Pizio received his first international call-up to represent the Australian under-17 team ahead of the 2022 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, and was renamed in a 23-man squad for the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers. He helped Australia to automatic qualification for the U-17 Asian Cup, scoring the third goal in a 3–1 win over China to top the group. During the tournament, Di Pizio also managed to score a brace in a 23–0 victory against Northern Mariana Islands, and a goal in a 10–0 win over Cambodia.

In May 2023, Di Pizio was renamed in the 23-man squad for the U-17 Asian Cup that was staged in Bangkok and Chonburi. Di Pizio featured in all three group matches as Australia qualified to the knockout rounds. He was also awarded player of the match in a 2–0 win against Tajikistan in the Joey's last group match. Di Pizio also featured in Australia's 3–1 quarter-final loss to Japan at BG Stadium.

Honours
Central Coast Mariners
 * A-League Men Championship: 2023–24
 * A-League Men Premiership: 2023-24
 * AFC Cup: 2023–24

Western Sydney Wanderers U20
 * National Premier Leagues NSW Under-20 Champions: 2022