Debut: 29/3/2022 v Saudi Arabia
Socceroos Cap Number: 620
Major Tournaments: FIFA World Cup 2022
Current Club: Hearts of Midlothian FC (Scotland)
Previous Clubs: Melbourne City
Junior Club: Riverside Olympic (TAS)
The Tasmanian born full-back is among a number of the Socceroo's brightest young stars, that were included in the squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, having translated his impressive form with Graham Arnold's Olyroos side during the Tokyo Olympics, into a successful qualification campaign, with the 23-year-old involved in both of Australia's crucial play-off victories in Doha. He made his FIFA World Cup debut against France before suffering an ankle injury which forced him off in the second-half.
After trialling with A-League men's side Melbourne City in 2016, Atkinson joined the A-League outfit’s academy side as a teenager, before progressing to the first grade squad just a season later.
In the 2017/18 season, Atkinson made his professional debut and quickly became a permanent fixture in Melbourne City’s first team setup. In the 2020/21 season, the defender was a key piece to the City's first A-League Premiership and Championship campaign, with the academy graduate scoring a crucial goal in his side’s 3-1 Grand Final victory.
National team manager Graham Arnold made Atkinson a fundamental cog to his Tokyo Games starting side, alongside fellow Socceroo defenders Thomas Deng, Harry Souttar, and Joel King.
The tournament garnered plenty of attention, from many European clubs, with the Tasmanian eventually trading City blue for Edinburgh claret, joining fellow Olyroo Cameron Devlin at Scottish side Hearts. Despite arriving midway through the campaign, Atkinson became a mainstay in the Premiership side, accruing 15 appearances, which included a Scottish Cup Final, in just 5 months of action.
