Victoria has already produced one world class M. Barbieri, and this season another will be hoping her W-League campaign with Melbourne Victory acts as a launching pad for a long and successful career in the women’s game.
15-year-old Melindaj Barbieri – Going by the nickname “Mindy” and with no relation to FFV Hall of Famer Melissa – is one of a handful of NTC players plucked by Victory coach Dave Edmonson to make their W-League debuts season.
She’ll be playing alongside her hero and namesake this season, in the biggest opportunity of her short but blossoming career.
“I’m stoked to be honest, at the age of 15 it’s a dream come true,” Barbieri said.
“It’s incredible, I never thought I’d be training with [this squad], I’ve been training with Melissa Barbieri and we’ve both got the same last name.
“I definitely look up to the squad and Victory is such a great team and like a second family to me.”
The attacking midfielder arrives following a Women’s Premier League season for the NTC that yielded plenty of eye-catching performances, including three goals.
She’s joined by teammates Adriana and Melissa Taranto, Whitney Knight and Annabel Martin at Victory, all of whom are willing to showcase the future of Victorian talent on the national stage.
“I still can’t tell them [Taranto twins] apart,” Barbieri joked.
“It was a good season, while we came eighth we’re definitely a development squad and in ways we still did well [in terms of performances].
“It is still good to have a bit of your team in this Victory squad, we know how to play together and knowing they’re in the team now will make this experience even better.”
While the youngster hasn’t set herself an objective yet this season, she sees every training session as an opportunity to grow in confidence and ability
“I’m always improving every day and every training session I’m learning something new,” she said.
“Just to be on the pitch and play is incredible and I cant wait, so we’ll see how we go.