Joe Gauci
Joe Gauci | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 4, 2000 Adelaide, Australia |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Known for | Goalkeeper for Aston Villa and Australia national team |
Joe Anthony Gauci (; born 4 July 2000) is an Australian professional football goalkeeper currently on loan at Port Vale, a club competing in the EFL League One, from Premier League side Aston Villa. He also represents the Australia national team.
Gauci's professional journey began with a scholarship at Central Coast Mariners, followed by periods at Adelaide City and Melbourne City. In 2020, he joined Adelaide United, making his debut in the A-League in 2021. Over three seasons, he accumulated 76 appearances before moving to Aston Villa in January 2024 for an undisclosed transfer fee.
On the international stage, Gauci has been capped seven times for Australia since his first appearance in a 2023 friendly against Ecuador. He initially entered the national team environment as a train-on player in 2022.
Early life
Born in Adelaide, Australia, on 4 July 2000, Gauci is of Maltese heritage. At the age of four, following his mother's appointment as general manager of Kangaroo Island SeaLink, his family relocated to Waiheke Island, New Zealand. During his time in New Zealand, he played youth football with local club Waiheke United, starting out as a striker in Auckland before switching to goalkeeper during a school football camp.
Upon returning to Adelaide at age eleven, Gauci secured a place at Cumberland United after a successful trial. He went on to represent South Australia at an under-14 national tournament held in Coffs Harbour and later entered the National Training Centre program, where he was mentored by coach Carl Veart.
Early career
At sixteen, Gauci drew attention from scouts while captaining the under-18 side of West Torrens Birkalla in the National Premier Leagues (NPL), leading them to a championship victory over Adelaide City. In February 2018, he trialed with the Central Coast Mariners and, following additional training sessions in May, secured a two-year scholarship contract on 19 June 2018. After being released one year later, he joined Adelaide City mid-season in June 2019 for the NPL South Australia, where he made eight league appearances that year. On 9 September 2019, he signed a scholarship deal with Melbourne City, joining their youth setup.
Adelaide United
Gauci signed a scholarship contract with his hometown club Adelaide United on 7 October 2020 after serving as backup goalkeeper at Melbourne City. With first-choice keeper James Delianov unavailable due to fitness concerns, Gauci made his professional debut on 13 March 2021 during a 3–1 away victory against Melbourne Victory. He recorded his inaugural league clean sheet on 28 March 2021 in a 1–0 win over Sydney FC, helping Adelaide secure their sixth consecutive win of the season—a feat matching the club’s record from the 2005–06 campaign. Head coach Carl Veart commended Gauci’s contribution to this success.
On 13 May, Gauci sustained a thigh injury during pre-match warm-up ahead of a fixture against Melbourne City, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He completed the 2020–21 campaign with ten league appearances and three clean sheets and subsequently agreed to a two-year contract extension on 25 May. The following season (2021–22), Gauci was out of action for seven months and missed early matches due to COVID-19 but returned mid-season to replace an injured Delianov. On 13 April 2023, he signed another extension, this time for three years.
In the 2022–23 season, Adelaide United advanced to the A-League finals series. Gauci ended a run of thirteen matches without a clean sheet during the elimination final by securing a shutout in a 2–0 victory over Wellington Phoenix on 5 May. The team’s campaign concluded with elimination by Melbourne City in the semi-final. By February 2024, midway through the following season (2023–24), Gauci departed Adelaide United after making seventy-six appearances and keeping sixteen clean sheets to pursue opportunities within English Premier League football.
Aston Villa
On 1 February 2024, Gauci transferred to the English Premier League club Aston Villa for a fee that was not publicly disclosed, though estimates placed it near $2.5 million (£1.29 million). This move occurred following Australia's elimination from the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Gauci was included on the substitute bench during a February 2024 fixture against Nottingham Forest. The goalkeeper, aged 24 at the time, made his first appearance for Aston Villa on 24 September 2024, starting in an EFL Cup match away at Wycombe Wanderers.
Barnsley (loan)
On 30 January 2025, Gauci secured a loan move to League One club Barnsley for the remainder of that season. He made an impressive English Football League debut on 1 February by maintaining a clean sheet in a goalless draw versus Burton Albion.
Port Vale (loan)
Gauci returned to League One competition on 11 August 2025, joining Port Vale on a season-long loan agreement.
International career
Eligible to represent Australia, New Zealand, and Malta, Gauci was initially called up as a train-on player for the Australia national team in March 2022 ahead of World Cup qualification encounters. His first official selection came in March 2023 for friendly matches against Ecuador, where he earned his international debut during a 2–1 defeat at Marvel Stadium.
In January 2024, Gauci was included in Australia's squad competing in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
Personal life
Gauci’s younger brother, Jed, plays for The Cove in State League 2 South Australia. The siblings faced each other competitively for the first time on 18 July 2023 when Adelaide United triumphed over The Cove with an 8–1 scoreline.
In April 2022, Gauci was appointed as an ambassador for the Childhood Cancer Association (CCA) through his affiliation with Adelaide United. In this role, he pledged to donate $20 for every save he made throughout the season, amounting to $1,920 by May 2023.
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Central Coast Mariners | 2018–19 | A-League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Melbourne City | 2019–20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Adelaide United | 2020–21 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 65 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 76 | 0 | |||
| Aston Villa | 2023–24 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Barnsley (loan) | 2024–25 | EFL League One | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Port Vale (loan) | 2025–26 | EFL League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
International
| National team | Year | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | |
| Overall | 7 | 0 | |
Honours
Individual
External links
- Joe Gauci profile at Aston Villa F.C.
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