Brisbane Roar forward Carlo Armiento will be celebrating 50 games in the Isuzu UTE A-League following the Roar’s 2-1 loss against Melbourne City last week.
The 23-year-old made his top-flight debut for Adelaide United in 2018 in their Round 7 clash against Melbourne Victory, after substituting onto the field in the 80th minute.
Armiento worked his way up the ranks through their Youth program after playing in the NPL.
He was released from the Reds in 2019 and went on to play for Perth Glory in 2020, where he stayed for two-and-a-half years before injuring his left ACL, which saw him out of the game for a year while he began the recovery process.
He joined the Roar in 2022 ahead of the 2022/2023 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Armiento also injured his right ACL when he was 15 so reaching 50 Isuzu UTE A-League games is a massive milestone for the Brisbane forward after bouncing back from two serious injuries.
“It’s been a long journey, just because of the fact that I’ve done both of my knees now. Where I’ve started at Adelaide, and then going to Perth, and doing my ACL at Perth, and then coming back, and now playing 50 games, it’s a pretty big milestone,” Armiento said.
“I was in Perth for two-and-a-half years, and after a year and a half, I did my knee in the preseason. So, I didn’t play last year at all, and this is my first year back after doing my second ACL,” he added.
As a result of taking a year off last year, Armiento says it has helped him bounce back from his second ACL injury and he is starting to feel like his hard work is paying off.
“The year off last year helped me a lot, because we were in the gym for a year so that got me really strong. At the start of this year, I’m feeling really good and I think it’s starting to show all the work I’ve put into my body.”
Armiento enjoys playing in Brisbane and says that his teammates have made the transition from Perth a smooth one.
“All the boys made me feel like I was home so I’m enjoying it now. Living in Brisbane, playing in front of the fans, I’ve been really enjoying it,” he said.
He shared that the support from his partner has been crucial in his journey away from his home in Adelaide as she has moved with him to pursue his football career in Perth, and now in Brisbane.
“Especially last year when I didn’t play for a year, I had her there and living in Brisbane, she’s moved over with me here. I think it’s hard living away from your family but she’s here to support me,” Armiento said.
The star forward has always wanted to play football professionally and aspires to play overseas one day to pursue his goals further.
“As a little kid, I’ve always loved soccer, I always went out and watched soccer. I’ve always wanted to be a professional footballer, and now I’m playing in the A-League and hopefully one day I can take the next step and go to Europe,” he said.
“I think that’s on my mind, firstly it was just getting back on my knee and playing regularly in the A-League which I think I’ve done this year and now doing well in the A-League and trying to make that next step to try and go overseas.”
