Early years and Wodonga Diamonds Hailing from
Albury - where he was the son of legendary
Albury Wodonga Football Association player and coach Carlo Villani Senior - Villani Junior began his career with
Wodonga Diamonds in the
Albury Wodonga Football Association. Villani had a short but brilliant career with the Diamonds and was named as a starting forward in their 1984-1993 'Team of the Decade', with his father named as coach. His raw talent was quickly noticed, winning selection in the NSW Country Under 15 team in 1985.
Canberra Deakin After bursting through with Wodonga Diamonds' seniors team, he moved to Canberra to join the under-21 side of NSW State League
Canberra Deakin. There he had an immediate impact, scoring five goals in one of his first few matches. Villani began his senior career in 1993 with
Canberra Deakin in the NSW Super League, scoring 10 goals in 21 appearances. He quickly established himself as a capable forward at state league level, drawing attention from National Soccer League clubs.
Morwell Falcons Later in 1993, Villani joined
Morwell Falcons in the
National Soccer League, making his NSL debut on November 3, 1993, in a 0–1 loss against
West Adelaide at Falcons Park in Round 4, coming on as a substitute. He went on to make four appearances in the 1993–94 season. Over the next three NSL seasons, he reached a total of five goals across 38 appearances, proving himself as a dangerous threat, often coming off the bench and affecting games with his pace and guile. Whilst big name strikers like
John Markovski and
Warren Spink were the nominal first choice strikers ahead of Villani, he gradually grew in stature and had his best season in 1995–96, scoring 3 goals from 21 games. Villani played a key hand in the Morwell Falcons' 1994
Dockerty Cup triumph, starting in the semi-final victory over
South Melbourne and the final against
Melbourne Zebras.
Albion Redsox (loan) During his NSL tenure with Morwell Falcons, Villani had two loan spells at
Albion Redsox in the
Victorian Premier League. In 1994 he made 11 appearances, scoring three goals, and in 1995 he added three appearances with one goal. These loan periods allowed him to maintain form and continue contributing at state league level while under NSL contract.
South Dandenong In 1998 and 1999, Villani played for
South Dandenong in the Victorian Premier League. Across two seasons, he scored 10 goals in 44 appearances and was recognised for his consistent attacking contributions in state league football. He sits 10th on their all-time number of goals scored at the Victorian level.
Morwell Pegasus Villani concluded his playing career with
Morwell Pegasus, joining the club in 2000. He had a sensational first-up season, scoring 17 goals to top the league's scoring charts. He played in the
Victorian State League Division Three South-East and
Victorian State League Division Two South-East until 2002, scoring 39 goals across three seasons. His experience provided leadership and attacking quality to the club at regional league level. ==Post-playing career==