Massimo Luongo

1.1. Birth, Family, and Heritage

Massimo Corey Luongo was born on 25 September 1992 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is the youngest of three children, with a sister named Angela and a brother named Tiziano. His father, Mario, is of Italian heritage, while his mother, Ira Luongo, is of Indonesian heritage. This diverse background has led to Luongo holding multiple citizenships, including an Australian passport and an Italian passport. Additionally, based on family history, his maternal great-grandfather was Sultan Ambela Abu'l-Khair Sirajuddin of the Bima Sultanate, which was based in Sumbawa, Indonesia.

1.2. Education

Luongo attended Waverley College, an independent school in Sydney, during his formative years. His educational experiences provided a foundation before he transitioned to focus on his burgeoning football career.

2.1. Tottenham Hotspur

Luongo signed with Tottenham Hotspur in January 2011 following an impressive trial. He made nine appearances for the club's under-18 team during the 2010-11 Premier Academy League season, scoring three goals. His only first-team appearance for Tottenham came on 20 September 2011 in a League Cup third-round match against Stoke City. He entered the game in the 70th minute, replacing Sandro, in a match that ended in a 0-0 draw before a penalty shootout. Luongo's penalty attempt was saved by goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen, which resulted in Tottenham's 7-6 defeat. Although he was called up to a league match for the first time as an unused substitute against Liverpool on 6 February 2012, and later in an FA Cup match against Stevenage on 19 February 2012, this League Cup appearance remained his sole competitive game for Tottenham's senior side.

2.2. Ipswich Town (First Loan)

On 23 July 2012, Luongo joined Championship side Ipswich Town on a season-long loan for the 2012-13 season. He made his debut on 14 August 2012 in the first round of the League Cup, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3-1 win over League Two club Bristol Rovers at Portman Road. Four days later, he played his first professional league match, starting in a 1-1 home draw against Blackburn Rovers before being substituted in the 70th minute. His first professional goal came on 28 August in the League Cup second round against Carlisle United at Brunton Park, scoring from outside the penalty area to give Ipswich the lead. However, Carlisle ultimately won 2-1 after extra time. The loan was terminated on 9 November 2012 by new Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy, who stated he desired a "different type of player."

2.3. Swindon Town

Luongo's move to Swindon Town began with a loan spell on 28 March 2013, alongside fellow Tottenham trainees Nathan Byrne and Dean Parrett. He immediately joined the squad the next day, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Oldham Athletic at the County Ground. On 16 April, Luongo scored his first goal for Swindon, a header from Gary Roberts' cross in a 4-1 win over Crewe Alexandra. In the play-off semi-final against Brentford on 4 May, he opened the scoring in the 70th minute of the first leg, but later conceded a penalty by fouling Harry Forrester, which resulted in a 1-1 draw. Swindon eventually lost the tie in a penalty shootout.

On 2 July 2013, Luongo signed a season-long loan deal with Swindon Town and was given the number 4 shirt. At the end of August 2013, Swindon completed his permanent transfer from Tottenham on a three-year contract for a fee of 400.00 K GBP. In the 2013-14 season, he scored six goals in 44 league appearances, including his first professional brace in a 5-2 home win over Port Vale on 2 November. The following season, 2014-15, he scored the same number of goals in 34 matches, but Swindon lost the play-off final to Preston North End at Wembley Stadium.

2.4. Queens Park Rangers

On 28 May 2015, Luongo joined Queens Park Rangers on a three-year deal, moving alongside his Swindon Town teammate Ben Gladwin. Notably, QPR head coach Chris Ramsey had previously coached Luongo during his youth career at Tottenham. Luongo made his debut in the first game of the Championship season on 8 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 defeat against Charlton Athletic. In his first season, he played 30 league games and 32 overall but did not score. Despite this, his performances earned him a place on the FIFA Ballon d'Or longlist for the 2015 campaign.

He scored his first goal for QPR on 18 March 2017 in a 5-1 victory over Rotherham United. Following a ruptured hamstring injury to captain Nedum Onouha in November of that year, Luongo was handed the responsibility of captaincy.

2.5. Sheffield Wednesday

Luongo transferred to Sheffield Wednesday for an undisclosed fee on 8 August 2019. He made his debut the following weekend as a substitute against Barnsley. His first goal for the club came against Wigan Athletic, which was also his first start for Sheffield Wednesday. He received a red card in a match against Blackburn Rovers, but the decision was later rescinded.

In his second season, Luongo faced multiple injury setbacks, the first occurring in a game against Luton Town on 23 October 2020, though he returned to play on 7 December 2020. He was again ruled out for five to six weeks on 24 February 2021. After another period sidelined by injury, he made an impressive return to the squad in early 2022, earning the club's January Player-of-the-Month award. His performances against Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle also saw him featured in two of the EFL's Team of the Week selections. Following the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, the club announced that he had been offered a new contract. However, on 22 June 2022, it was confirmed that Luongo had rejected the offer and would leave Sheffield Wednesday.

2.6. Middlesbrough

On 8 September 2022, Luongo joined Middlesbrough on a short-term deal set to expire in January 2023. His contract was mutually cancelled on 5 January, during which time he did not make any competitive appearances for the club.

2.7. Ipswich Town (Second Spell)

On the same day his contract with Middlesbrough was cancelled, Luongo signed a six-month deal to return to Ipswich Town, a club where he had previously had a loan spell over a decade earlier, now playing in EFL League One. He made his first appearance in his second spell on 28 January 2023, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute for Sam Morsy in an FA Cup fourth-round match, a goalless home draw against Championship leaders Burnley. On 18 March, starting a match at Portman Road, he scored his first goal of this spell, contributing to a 2-0 victory over Shrewsbury Town. Luongo played a crucial role in Ipswich Town's subsequent promotions, helping the team achieve runner-up finishes in both EFL League One in 2022-23 and the EFL Championship in 2023-24, which secured their return to the Premier League.

3.1. Youth National Teams

Luongo represented the Australia under-20 team on two occasions. Despite his appearances, he was not selected for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup squad. His early international experience also included being called up to a training camp in Europe with the senior national team in March 2011.

3.2. Senior National Team Debut and Early Appearances

Luongo made his debut for the senior Australian national team, known as the Socceroos, on 6 March 2014. He came on as a second-half substitute for captain Mile Jedinak in a 3-4 loss to Ecuador at The New Den in London.

3.3. 2014 FIFA World Cup

Luongo was included in the 23-man Australian squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, selected by manager Ange Postecoglou. However, he did not feature in any of Australia's three matches, as the team was eliminated during the group stage of the tournament.

3.4. 2015 AFC Asian Cup

Luongo was a key player in Australia's successful campaign at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, which was hosted on home soil. His Swindon Town teammate, Yaser Kasim, was also called up to represent Iraq, meaning both clubs had to compete in the League One season without their central midfielders for a month.

In the opening game of the tournament on 9 January 2015, Luongo scored in Australia's 4-1 victory over Kuwait, and also provided the assist for Tim Cahill's opening goal. His performance earned him the man of the match award. Luongo also started in Australia's second group game against Oman, assisting Robbie Kruse for Australia's second goal in a 4-0 win.

He played in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup Final against South Korea on 31 January 2015, scoring Australia's first goal from outside the penalty area in a 2-1 victory that secured the tournament title for Australia. For his exceptional contributions throughout the tournament, which included two goals and four assists, Luongo was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. He was also selected for the AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament.

3.5. 2018 FIFA World Cup and Later Career

Luongo was named in Australia's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by manager Bert van Marwijk, following what was described as the most prolific season of his career at Queens Park Rangers. Similar to 2014, he did not make an appearance during the tournament as Australia was eliminated from the group stage, an experience he later expressed frustration about. He was also selected for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup held in the United Arab Emirates.

In December 2023, Luongo announced his retirement from international football, stating his intention to focus on his domestic club career and help Ipswich Town secure promotion to the Premier League. At the time of this announcement, he had made 45 appearances for the Socceroos. However, in October 2024, Luongo returned from international retirement after being named in Tony Popovic's inaugural Australian squad for World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

3.6. International Goals

Massimo Luongo has scored six goals for the Australia senior national team.

4.1. Club Statistics

Statistics updated as of 15 February 2025.

4.2. International Statistics

Statistics updated as of 16 November 2023 (excluding his return in October 2024, which will add to these numbers).

5.1. Club Honours

Ipswich Town

• EFL League One runner-up: 2022-23
• EFL Championship runner-up: 2023-24

5.2. International Honours

Australia

• AFC Asian Cup: 2015

5.3. Individual Honours

• PFA Team of the Year: 2014-15 League One
• AFC Asian Cup Most Valuable Player: 2015
• AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2015
• AFC Asian International Player of the Year third-place: 2015
• Queens Park Rangers Player of the Season: 2017-18
• AFC Asian Cup Man of the Match: 2015 (vs. Kuwait, vs. United Arab Emirates)