| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 February 2009 | ||
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia [1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Pescara | ||
| Number | 40 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| M&U Football Academy | |||
| Western Sydney Wanderers | |||
| 2022–2025 | Pescara | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2025– | Pescara | 1 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024 | Australia U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2025– | Italy U16 | 2 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 01:33, 8 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 01:33, 8 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Antonio Arena (born 10 February 2009) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Pescara. Born in Australia, he is a youth international for Italy.
Arena is a youth product of the Australians clubs M&U Football Academy and Western Sydney Wanderers, before moving to Pescara in 2022 to finish his development. [2] On 15 February 2025, he signed his first professional contract until 2028. [3] He made his senior and professional debut with Pescara in a 4–1 Serie C win over Lucchese, and scored his side's fourth goal. At 16 years and 25 days old, he became the first 2009-born player to score in professional football in Italy, and also the youngest ever goalscorer for Pescara beating the record of Marco Verratti. [4]
Born in Australia, Arena is of Italian descent through his grandparents from Abruzzo. He holds dual Australian-Italian citizenship. [4] He debuted with the Australia U16s in a friendly 4–3 win over the Switzerland U16s on 16 April 2024. [5] In January 2025, he was called up to the Italy U16s for a set of friendlies. [2]