La Dolce Vita - Melissa Barbieri explains her drive and passion for football

Melissa Barbieri is one of Australian football’s greatest ambassadors both on and off the field.

Melissa Barbieri is one of Australian football’s greatest ambassadors both on and off the field. Source: Versus Media

Barbieri played 86 times for Australia, leading the Matildas to Asian Cup glory in 2010 – the first of any Australian football team to win in Asia.

A brave goalkeeper, with incredible reflexes, Barbieri is the second Australian to play at four consecutive FIFA World Cups from 2003 to 2015, captaining the side in 2011 where Australia made the quarter-finals.

She is also an Olympian, representing Australia in 2004 at the Athens Games.

A vocal and articulate advocate for both women in football and players rights, Barbieri has proven herself a leader off the field as well as on.

In 2013 she gave birth to her daughter Holly and still managed to return to the elite level, winning the W-League goalkeeper of the year in 2014 and playing in the 2015 World Cup against the world’s number one side, the United States.

After recovering from a knee injury, Barbieri recently came back to join the W-League’s reigning champions Melbourne City.

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This video is part of the La Dolce Vita content series presented by Alfa Romeo, exploring the passion points of prominent Italian Australians.

Check out the other videos in the series:

Benjamin Zeccola, CEO of the Palace Cinemas 

Giovanni Pilu, Founder and chef at Pilu, Freshwater