Melbourne City teen with ‘unique story’ signs first pro deal after ‘rapid rise’

The Isuzu UTE A-League has had some incredible finishes and fiery moments across its history but this ending between Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC might take the cake.

Melbourne City young gun Medin Memeti has signed his first professional contract – a three-year deal with the club’s Isuzu UTE A-League side.

The 17-year-old academy graduate and highly-rated Young Socceroos attacker also has an option for a further season.

Memeti joined City’s academy in 2022 and he has progressed rapidly through the ranks, making his senior debut as a substitute in the Australia Cup last year, while he was also in the matchday squad for two AFC Champions League fixtures.

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“It’s a proud moment for me and my family to sign my first professional contract with my local
club, Melbourne City,” said Memeti.

“It’s been something I’ve been looking forward to and I’ve been working hard to get to this point.

“I’m very happy but I also know this is just the beginning and I can’t wait to get back to work and learn from the senior players and the coaches.”

Memeti, who arrived from Dandenong Thunder in 2022 as one of the first South East based talents to join City, scored a hat-trick on his NPL debut as a 15-year-old last May.

The teenager came off the bench 10 minutes into the second half with City trailing Brunswick City 2-0 last season and scored in the 70th, 86th and 89th minutes to inspire a wild comeback.

In September, Memeti made his senior debut as a late substitute in City’s Australia Cup clash against MetroStars while he was on the bench in two AFC Champions League matches in 2023-24.

This year, he has scored nine goals in 15 appearances for City in VPL1 – the second tier of Victorian football – including a memorable double against Western United recently.

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“Medin is an exciting young prospect and we’re thrilled to have him commit his long-term future to City. He joins an already exciting group of young attackers in our squad,” said City’s director of football Michael Petrillo.

“He possesses the right mentality and technical abilities needed to be a City player, so we believe that he has a bright future ahead of him.

“He’s in a fantastic environment with all the resources available to him to realise his potential, and we’re looking forward to seeing him develop over the next few seasons.”

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City’s academy senior manager Simon Zappia added: “Medin has a unique story, he was one of the first signings we made in the Academy after moving to Casey Fields from his junior club, Dandenong Thunder.

“After joining our U16s as a 14-year-old, we saw a rapid rise in his development, and he progressed through the Academy to train with our A-League team within 18 months.

“Medin has showed great resilience to bounce back from a few setbacks and he’s built some strong consistency in the VPL.

“I’m really proud to see the progress he’s made, and he thoroughly deserves this opportunity.”