We’re delighted to announce that 18-year-old winger, Ben Mazzeo, has signed his first senior contract.
The City Academy graduate has signed on until the end of the 2025/26 season, with a trigger to extend for a further year.
Having first joined our Academy in 2018, it’s been a rapid rise for Mazzeo in recent months, after making 18 appearances for our senior NPL side in 2023.
He regularly trained with the A-League Men’s squad throughout pre-season and impressed the coaching staff enough to earn a senior debut in the AFC Champions League against Buriram United in November.
Mazzeo’s first professional start would come less than a month later and it couldn’t have gone much better, opening scoring in just the 12th minute in a 2-0 win over Newcastle Jets.
Now with eight senior appearances and two goals to his name, Mazzeo will be aiming to cement himself as a regular in Aurelio Vidmar’s squad over the remainder of the season.
Melbourne City FC Director of Football, Michael Petrillo said:
”Ben is another product of our Academy system who has been with us for several years, but his development was delayed slightly due to some injuries in the last couple of seasons. Since he has come back from those setbacks, Ben has been an outstanding contributor at training and has impressed whenever he has been called upon.
“He is blessed with pace and good technical ability; however, it is his attitude to every aspect of football that has set him apart and is a major reason why we see him as an outstanding prospect, and why he has been granted his first professional contract.”
Ben Mazzeo said:
“I’m thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to play for the Club I grew up supporting.
“This is a significant milestone in my journey and marks the beginning of a new chapter for me with the opportunity to continue to grow as a player. I am so grateful that my passion has now become my career.
“The professional environment throughout the Academy has played a vital role in getting me to where I am today. It has been a privilege to grow as a player in the best academy in Australia and I’m really excited to take this step and represent the Club at a professional level.”
