Ben Garuccio
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin Garuccio | ||
| Date of birth | 15 June 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Adelaide, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Left back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sydney FC | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Adelaide City | |||
| 2010 | SASI | ||
| 2010–2011 | Adelaide United | ||
| 2011–2012 | AIS | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2016 | Melbourne City[2] | 45 | (1) |
| 2016–2018 | Adelaide United | 50 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Heart of Midlothian | 21 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Melbourne City | 21 | (0) |
| 2021–2025 | Western United | 87 | (7) |
| 2025– | Sydney FC | 20 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2014 | Australia U20 | 17 | (0) |
| 2018 | Australia U23 | 3 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17 January 2018 | |||
Benjamin Garuccio (/ɡəˈruːtʃioʊ/ gə-ROO-chee-oh,[3] Italian: [ɡaˈruttʃo]; born 15 June 1995) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a left back for Sydney FC.
Garuccio represented the Australian under-20 side on many occasions.
Early life
[edit]Garuccio was born on 15 June 1995 in Adelaide, Australia. Growing up, he attended Henley High School and Canberra High School in Australia. After that, he attended UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra and Torrens University Australia in Australia.[4]
Career
[edit]Melbourne Heart
[edit]On 19 September 2012, Garuccio signed for A-League side Melbourne Heart,[5] who have since been rebranded as Melbourne City.[6] He suffered a stress fracture while playing for the club.[7]
Adelaide United
[edit]On 16 June 2016, Garuccio returned to his hometown, signing a 2-year contract with Adelaide United.[8]
Heart of Midlothian
[edit]Garuccio signed a pre-contract agreement with Scottish Premiership club Hearts in May 2018.[9] He scored his first goal for Hearts in a 5–0 win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 29 July 2018, with a 25-yard free-kick.[10]
Melbourne City
[edit]Garuccio returned to Australia in October 2020, signing for Melbourne City.[11]
Western United
[edit]In July 2021, Garuccio secured a mutual termination of contract with Melbourne City, so he could join rival Melbourne club Western United.[12][13] He captained the club.[14] On 6 September 2025, Western United was placed into hibernation and all players were released from their contracts.[15]
Sydney FC
[edit]Following the demise of Western United, Garuccio joined Sydney FC ahead of the 2025-26 A-League season, on a two-year contract.[16] On 29 November 2025, Garuccio made his debut for the club, coming off the bench in the 53rd minute against arch-rivals Western Sydney Wanderers at Western Sydney Stadium. His starting debut would come against the Central Coast Mariners at Polytech Stadium, Gosford on 6 December 2025.
Career statistics
[edit]- As of 26 April 2026
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Melbourne City | 2012–13 | A-League | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | A-League | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | A-League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16 | A-League | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| Total | 45 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 47 | 1 | ||||
| Adelaide United | 2016–17 | A-League | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | A-League | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| Total | 50 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 56 | 1 | |||
| Heart of Midlothian | 2018–19 | Scottish Premiership | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 23 | 1 | |
| 2019–20 | Scottish Premiership | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 29 | 1 | |||
| Melbourne City | 2020–21 | A-League | 21 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| Western United | 2021–22 | A-League Men | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | A-League Men | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2023–24 | A-League Men | 23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 3 | |||
| 2024–25 | A-League Men | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | |||
| Total | 87 | 7 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 94 | 7 | ||||
| Sydney FC | 2025–26 | A-League Men | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 244 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 267 | 11 | ||
Honours
[edit]- Melbourne City
- Western United
- A-League Men Championship: 2021–22
- Individual
References
[edit]- ↑ "B. Garuccio". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ↑ The team was known as Melbourne Heart prior to 2014
- ↑ A-Leagues [@aleagues]; (30 September 2025). "Come for @sydneyfootballclub's name pronunciations, stay for Joe Lolley absolutely losing it 🤣👆". Retrieved 30 October 2025 – via Instagram.
- ↑ "Adelaide United's left back Ben Garuccio swaps balls for books". The Advertiser. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ↑ "Heart sign Qantas Young Socceroo Garuccio". Football Federation Australia. 19 September 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ↑ "City Football Group Confirms Name Change to Melbourne City FC - Melbourne Heart FC 2013". Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "Emotions take over for first-time scorer Garuccio as City aim for top spot". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ↑ "Reds snare former City defender". Football Federation Australia. 16 June 2016.
- ↑ "Hearts sign Australian full-back Ben Garuccio". BBC Sport. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ↑ "Big interview: Ben Garuccio steadying Hearts' left flank". Edinburgh Evening News. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ↑ "Garuccio returns to Melbourne in two-year deal with City". The World Game. SBS. 14 October 2020.
- ↑ "City confirm departure of Ben Garuccio". Melbourne City. 17 July 2021.
- ↑ "Western United bolster squad with Ben Garuccio signing". Western United. 18 July 2021.
- ↑ "Sydney hero shares raw journey from 'shell of a human' calling NPL clubs after Western's demise to A-League grand final". Football360. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ↑ chloealsop (6 September 2025). "Western United FC Club Statement". Western United. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- ↑ "Two Time Championship Winner Signs For Sydney FC". Sydney FC. 21 September 2025.
- ↑ Harrington, Anna (20 May 2022). "ALM young guns get shot against Barcelona". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ↑ "A-League All Stars Men lock in final 21-player squad to take on Newcastle United this Friday". A-League Men. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ↑ "PFA reveals player-voted Austraffic A-League Men Team of the Season on eve of Grand Final". Professional Footballers Australia. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
External links
[edit]- Ben Garuccio on Facebook
- Ben Garuccio at WorldFootball.net
- Ben Garuccio at Soccerway
.svg){kind=small}  | This biographical article related to a soccer defender from Australia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
- 1995 births
- Living people
- Melbourne City FC players
- Adelaide United FC players
- Heart of Midlothian F.C. players
- Western United FC players
- Sydney FC players
- A-League Men players
- A-League Men All-Stars
- Australian people of Italian descent
- Sportspeople of Italian descent
- Australian men's soccer players
- Soccer players from Adelaide
- Men's association football defenders
- Australian Institute of Sport soccer players
- Australia men's under-20 international soccer players
- Australian expatriate men's soccer players
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland
- Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland
- Scottish Professional Football League players
- 21st-century Australian sportsmen
- Australian soccer defender stubs
