 Luongo withAustralia in 2018 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Massimo Corey Luongo[1] | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1992-09-25)25 September 1992 (age 32)[2] | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sydney,New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[3] | |||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Ipswich Town | |||||||||||||
| Number | 25 | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2010 | APIA Leichhardt Tigers | |||||||||||||
| 2011 | Tottenham Hotspur | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2012 | →Ipswich Town (loan) | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2013 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2013 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 5 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Swindon Town | 73 | (10) | |||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Queens Park Rangers | 145 | (10) | |||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Sheffield Wednesday | 64 | (4) | |||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Middlesbrough | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2023– | Ipswich Town | 65 | (5) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2014– | Australia | 45 | (6) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:12, 15 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 December 2023 | ||||||||||||||
Massimo Corey Luongo (/ˈmæsɪmoʊluˈɒŋɡoʊ/MASS-ih-moh loo-ONG-goh;[4][5] born 25 September 1992) is an Australian professional football player who plays as adefensive midfielder forPremier League clubIpswich Town and theAustralian national team.
Born inSydney, Luongo played youth football forAPIA Leichhardt Tigers before moving to England to play forTottenham Hotspur, where he started his professional career. Following a loan spell atIpswich Town, he played on loan atSwindon Town, a move which was eventually made permanent. After four years atQueens Park Rangers, he joinedSheffield Wednesday in 2019.
Luongo played for theAustralia national team from 2014 until December 2023, making 45 appearances in total before announcing his retirement from international football. He was a member of the squad at the2014 FIFA World Cup and played a central role in Australia winning the2015 AFC Asian Cup, where he scored in thefinal and was named player of the tournament. He also went to the2018 FIFA World Cup and2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Luongo was born on 25 September 1992[6] inSydney. His father Mario isof Italian heritage and mother Ira Luongo isof Indonesian heritage. He attendedWaverley College. He is the youngest of three children; he has a sister Angela and a brother Tiziano.[7] In addition to holding anAustralian passport, Luongo also has anItalian passport.[8]
According to Luongo himself, his maternal great-grandfather was Sultan Ambela Abu'l-Khair Sirajuddin ofBima Sultanate based inSumbawa.[7]
Luongo signed forTottenham Hotspur in January 2011 after impressing on trial, and went on to make nine appearances for theunder-18 team during the2010–11 Premier Academy League season, scoring three goals. He made his only appearance for the first team on 20 September 2011 in a 7–6penalty shootout loss to fellowPremier League clubStoke City in thethird round of theLeague Cup, replacingSandro after 70 minutes. Luongo had his penalty attempt saved byThomas Sørensen, resulting in the defeat.[9]
On 6 February 2012, he was called up to a league match for the first time, remaining an unused substitute as Tottenham earned a goalless draw away toLiverpool.[10] Thirteen days later he was included in the squad for the last time, again unused in a goallessFA Cup fifth round match away to League One teamStevenage.[11]
On 23 July 2012, Luongo joinedChampionship sideIpswich Town on a season-long loan for the2012–13 season.[12] He made his debut on 14 August in the first round of the League Cup, playing the entirety of a 3–1 win overLeague Two clubBristol Rovers atPortman Road.[13] Four days later he played his first professional league game, starting in a 1–1 home draw againstBlackburn Rovers and making way forAndy Drury after 70 minutes.[14] On 28 August, in the second round of the League Cup againstCarlisle United atBrunton Park, he scored from outside the penalty area to put Ipswich ahead with his first professional goal, but Carlisle scored a late equaliser and won 2–1 after extra time.[15]
The loan was terminated on 9 November after new Ipswich managerMick McCarthy said that he wanted a 'different type of player'.[16]
On 28 March 2013, Luongo signed forSwindon Town on loan along with fellow Spurs traineesNathan Byrne andDean Parrett.[17] The very next day he went straight into the squad to faceOldham Athletic and play the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw at theCounty Ground.[18] On 16 April, Luongo scored his first goal for Swindon in a 4–1 win overCrewe Alexandra, heading inGary Roberts' cross.[19] He opened the scoring on 4 May in the 70th minute of the first leg of the play-off semi-final againstBrentford, but in added time conceded a penalty by foulingHarry Forrester;Kevin O'Connor converted it for a 1–1 draw.[20] Swindon eventually lost the tie in a penalty shootout.
Luongo signed a season-long loan deal with Swindon Town on 2 July 2013 and was handed the number 4 shirt.[21]
At the end of August 2013, Swindon signed Luongo on a permanent three-year contract having agreed a fee of £400,000 with Spurs.[22] He scored six goals in 44 league appearancesthat season, including a first professional brace in a 5–2 home win overPort Vale on 2 November.[23] In the following campaign, he got just as many goals but in 34 matches, as Swindon lost theplay-off final toPreston North End atWembley Stadium.
On 28 May 2015, Luongo joinedQueens Park Rangers, along withSwindon Town teammateBen Gladwin, both signing a three-year deal.[24] QPR head coachChris Ramsey was Luongo's youth coach at Tottenham.[25] He made his debut in the first game of theChampionship season on 8 August, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–0 defeat atCharlton Athletic.[26] Luongo played 30 league games in his first season – 32 overall – but did not score. His performances earned him a place on theFIFA Ballon d'Or longlist for the2015 campaign.[27]
He scored his first goal for QPR in a 5–1 win overRotherham United on 18 March 2017.[28] FollowingNedum Onouha's ruptured hamstring injury that November, Luongo was handed the responsibility of captaincy.[29]
On 8 August 2019, Luongo joinedSheffield Wednesday for an undisclosed fee.[30] He made his debut the following weekend, coming off the bench againstBarnsley.[31] He scored his first goal for the club againstWigan Athletic, which was also his first start for the club.[32] He was sent off in a game againstBlackburn Rovers, but the red card was later rescinded.[33]
In his second season at the club he was injured several times, the first being in a game againstLuton Town,[34] returning on 7 December 2020.[35] He was ruled out again for another five to six weeks on 24 February 2021.[36]
After another injury layoff, he returned to the squad at the start of 2022 with some impressive performances, winning the clubs January Player-of-the-Month competition, as well as appearing in two of EFL's Team of the Week after his performances againstIpswich Town andPlymouth Argyle.[37] The club announced he was offered a new contract following the end of the 2021-22 season.[38] On 22 June 2022, it was confirmed that he had rejected his new contract and would leave the club.[39]
On 8 September 2022, Luongo joinedMiddlesbrough on a short-term deal until January 2023.[40] His contract was cancelled by mutual consent on 5 January, having not made an appearance.[41]
On the same day as being released from Middlesbrough, Luongo signed a six-month deal at Ipswich ofEFL League One, where he had been loaned to over a decade earlier.[41] He made his first appearance on 28 January 2023 in the fourth round of the FA Cup, as a 78th-minute substitute forSam Morsy in a goalless home draw with Championship leadersBurnley;[42] on 18 March, as a starter, he scored the first goal of his spell to conclude a 2–0 win overShrewsbury Town atPortman Road.[43]
Luongo represented theAustralia under-20 team twice but was not selected for the2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[44]
He made his debut for the Socceroos on 6 March 2014 as a second-half substitute for captainMile Jedinak in the 3–4 loss toEcuador atThe New Den in London.[45] He was selected for the 23-manAustralia squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil by managerAnge Postecoglou,[46] but did not feature in any of their three matches as they were eliminated in the group stage.
Luongo was also selected in the 23-man squad for theAsia Cup to be played on home soil in Australia.[47] Swindon teammateYaser Kasim was also called up forIraq, meaning that the club would have to compete in their regularLeague One season without the two central midfielders for a month. He went on to score in Australia's 4–1win overKuwait in the opening game of the tournament, in addition to providing the assist that led toTim Cahill scoring Australia's first goal of the match.[48] At the end of the game, he was named as man of the match.[49] Luongo also started in Australia's second group game againstOman, providing the assist forRobbie Kruse to score Australia's second goal in an eventual 4–0 win. He played in the2015 AFC Asian Cup Final againstSouth Korea, scoring the first goal from outside the box in a 2–1 win.[50] He was named as Most Valuable Player of the tournament after scoring two goals and assisting four throughout the tournament.[51]
Luongo was named in Australia's 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by managerBert van Marwijk after having the most prolific season of his career at QPR. He did not play as the team were eliminated from the group stage, and told London'sMetro newspaper that he was frustrated to not feature.[52] He was chosen for the2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.[53]
In December 2023, Luongo announced his retirement from international football to focus on his domestic football, to focus on helping his clubIpswich Town to be promoted to thePremier League.[54] He had played for the Socceroos 45 times.[55]
In October 2024, Luongo returned from international retirement after being named inTony Popovic's inaugural Australia squad forWorld Cup qualifiers againstChina andJapan.[56]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2011–12 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2012–13 | Championship | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 11 | 1 | |
| Swindon Town | 2012–13[a] | League One | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| 2013–14[c] | 44 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5[d] | 0 | 53 | 6 | ||
| 2014–15 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 40 | 6 | ||
| Total | 85 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 102 | 14 | ||
| Queens Park Rangers | 2015–16 | Championship | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 39 | 6 | |||
| 2018–19 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 43 | 3 | |||
| Total | 145 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 152 | 10 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2019–20 | Championship | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 30 | 3 | |
| 2020–21 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | League One | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| Total | 64 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 73 | 4 | ||
| Middlesbrough | 2022–23 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ipswich Town | 2022–23 | League One | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| 2023–24 | Championship | 43 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 44 | 3 | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 65 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 368 | 32 | 11 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 409 | 34 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2014 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 January 2015 | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium,Melbourne, Australia |  Kuwait | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup |
| 2 | 31 January 2015 | Stadium Australia,Sydney, Australia |  South Korea | 1–0 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 2015 AFC Asian Cup |
| 3 | 24 March 2016 | Adelaide Oval,Adelaide, Australia |  Tajikistan | 1–0 | 7–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 29 March 2016 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia |  Jordan | 5–0 | 5–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 1 September 2016 | Perth Oval,Perth, Australia |  Iraq | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 17 November 2018 | Lang Park,Brisbane, Australia | South Korea | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Ipswich Town
Australia
Individual
Australia squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
