The defender’s brief flirtation with Italy over, Circati, 19, took Arnold by surprise with his impromptu call, rewarding the Socceroos mentor for many months of behind the scenes contact with the Parma youngster.
 
Now in camp in Beijing, there is every chance Circati will make his debut in Thursday’s reunion with world champions Argentina in what shapes as a dream scenario for a player getting over the disappointment of narrowly missing out on promotion to Serie A this season.
 
Speaking for the first time since his nailing his allegiance to the land which nurtured him from the age of one, Perth-raised Circati revealed why he walked away from the Azzurri, for whom he had two caps at U-20 level.
 
“I did give it a lot of thought because they’re both great countries but at the end of the day my heart is with Australia’s, it’s where I grew up and where I fell in love with football and developed as a young player,” Circati told FTBL.
 
“Once my mind was made up I gave Graham Arnold a call to let him know. I think it was a bit out of the blue for him to hear from me because at that point things were still up in the air a bit from his side.
 
“But he was very welcoming and encouraging and I’m so pleased to be a part of this squad preparing to take on the World Cup winners.
 
“I didn’t want to rush into making a call on whether to stick with Italy or go with Australia - it was something there in the back of your mind.
 
“A couple of weeks back I just decided to follow my heart and I know it’s the right decision for me.”
 
With just two training sessions behind him, Circati already feels at home in the Socceroos inner sanctum as he embarks on what promises to be a long international career.
 
“The boys have been really welcoming and I feel at home already after only a couple of training sessions and I’m excited over what lies ahead,” he added.
 
“There’s a lot of competition in my position but that’s what you want - it’s friendly competition and you can all push each other to get better.
 
“If I get to play - and that’s down to the boss - I’ll be proud to step out onto the pitch and possibly facing Lionel Messi would be amazing.
 
“He’s the best player in the world and has achieved so much throughout his career. You always want to test yourself against the best.
 
“We’ll see if I can get some game time but it’s definitely something to get excited about. It’s not every week you get the chance to play the World Cup winners.
 
It was great to see Australia do so well at the World Cup - and give Argentina a pretty hard time in the knock out stages.
 
“I watched their games and the country has come a long way and won the respect of a lot of people.
 
“Coming into camp I know most of the boys by name only but I have struck up a bit of friendship with Alex Robertson through instagram beforehand, and it’s been good to meet him in the flesh.”
 
A symbol of Arnold’s ongoing regeneration of a squad which reached the knockout stages in Qatar, Circati brings immediate competition for the likes of Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Milos Degenek and Bailey Wright.
 
“There are a lot of good young players coming through and hopefully I can make my own impression as time goes on,” he said.
 
“The boss has shown in the past he isn’t afraid to pick youngsters if he thinks they’re ready, and it’s up to me to put my best foot forward.”
 
Rewarded with a new four-year by Parma, Circati - who made 13 Serie B appearances last season - believes he’s at the right club and the right time.
 
“I’ve signed the new deal at Parma and couldn’t be happier there,” he said.
 
“It was disappointing not go up this year (losing to Cagliari in the play offs) but we’ve got a lot to build on and will come back bigger and stronger next season.
 
“They’re great in young players a chance to shine and I like to think I’m repaying their faith in me.”