Argentine hotshot living up to Owen comparisons

Sebastian Omar Monesterolo has proved an instant hit for Valletta. Coupled with the collective improvement of his team, Monesterolo's razor-sharp finishing has given Valletta fans justified cause for optimism about their club's prospect of a return to their former glory.

When Sebastian Omar Monesterolo turned up for his first training session at the 'fortified' pitches of the Salinos Ground, most of the players, officials and fans who witnessed his arrival were struck by his physical resemblance to England's star forward Michael Owen.

That was in the middle of January and Valletta were at the time embroiled in a fierce struggle to gain a berth in the Championship Pool.

News that the club had recruited the Argentine striker, an English midfielder, Craig Dean, and later on Claude Mattocks on loan from Sliema, invariably helped to lift the erstwhile flailing spirits of their supporters ahead of a series of decisive matches.

Depressingly short of firepower in attack, the entire City clan longed for a clinical finisher to complement talisman Gilbert Agius.

Monesterolo's similarity to one of the most lethal forwards in European football prompted the fans to pray that their new signing would be blessed with even a fraction of Owen's talents.

Just over two months since he first set foot in Malta, Monesterolo has already earned hero status among the City faithful.

Statistics show why. The nimble Argentine has scored seven goals in seven games to propel Valletta into the top half of the standings.

Ranging from tap-ins and first-time shots to a long-distance chip and a bullet free-kick, Monesterolo's goals are testament to his varied traits.

The 22-year-old striker's strong impact on the Citizens led the club, spearheaded by president Charles Camilleri, to conclude discussions over a one-year extension to his contract.

Impressed by Monesterolo's scoring exploits, people outside the City camp have been asking how did Valletta come to know about a young striker from Argentina.

"I have a friend living in Uruguay, Daniel Pereyra. He happens to know a football agent in Germany who had previously worked for Valletta," Monesterolo told me when I met him for an interview at the Castille Hotel, his dwelling and that of Englishman Dean since they joined Valletta.

"Pereyra saw me playing and got in touch with this agent who in turn approached Valletta. I was asked whether I was interested to join a club in Malta.

"To be honest, I knew nothing about this country but my friend told me that it was OK, so I decided to take this opportunity."

Like most up-and-coming players in South America, Monesterolo's dream is to play in one of Europe's top leagues. In this light, Malta's proximity to the central European mainland will surely have informed his decision to accept Valletta's offer.

"My big ambition is to play in the Spanish Liga," Monesterolo admitted. "There are other top leagues in Europe but I prefer Spain because their football suits my qualities best.

"By coming to play in Malta, which is nearer to Spain than Argentina, I think I have a better chance of getting spotted."

Monesterolo may be a revelation for Maltese football but a closer inspection of his background suggests a player with the right credentials to make a decent living out of the game.

"Before I came to Malta, I played for six months with Juventud Unida, a third division club in Argentina," Monesterolo said.

Raised in the city of Cordoba, Monesterolo also had a one-year spell with his hometown club, Sportivo Belgrano, and another six-month spell in Malaysia.

"Sportivo Belgrano is my favourite team and I was very happy to have had the opportunity to play for them," Monesterolo added.

Encouraged to disclose more information about his football career, Monesterolo revealed that he spent his formative years in football with the famous Argentine club Boca Juniors.

"I was with Boca Juniors for six years, from the age of 13 till 19," he remarked. "There I had the chance to play for Boca's second team and also trained with the first team besides having a short loan spell with Buenos Aires club Banfied.

"With Boca, I won several leagues in different categories and was top scorer three times in the U-14, U-17 and U-18 championships."

Turning his focus on the now, Monesterolo only had warm words to say about his experience as a Valletta player so far.

"It has been a very good experience," Monesterolo reminisced.

"I'm playing for the best club in Malta and the people here are great. They are very friendly and the supporters love the club.

"The players also helped me to settle down. Valletta not only have a good team but a great bunch of lads. I would like to thank them, especially Keith Fenech who has been looking after me ever since I came here.

"I am also enjoying myself working with Paul Zammit. He's a very intelligent coach and has helped me a lot not only from the footballing side but also personally. He's a good person."

As for his impressions on Maltese football, Monesterolo replied: "It's a good league.

"The level of the Premier League is quite similar to the third division in Argentina as well as the top league in Malaysia. In Argentina, the technical aspect is stronger but here it's tougher physically.

"I'm happy about my performances so far. Seven goals in seven games is a good record but I know it's difficult to maintain this scoring rate. Having a player like Gilbert Agius on my side is a big advantage... for me he's the best player here, no doubt."

Growing up in Cordoba, Monesterolo's football heroes were Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta.

"Maradona is an icon in Argentina, he's the best player ever," Monesterolo said. "As a striker, my favourite player was Batistuta."

Monesterolo admits that his knowledge of English football is scarce but he does know who Michael Owen is.

"I remember the goal he scored against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup in France," he recalled. "When I was playing in Malaysia, many people used to point at me, shouting Owen, Owen. The same happened when I arrived here."

Monesterolo has had no problems getting used to the Maltese lifestyle but a few weeks ago, Valletta fans were seriously concerned about the future of their hotshot after reports emerged that the Argentine was missing his partner and their young son, Thomas.

The story was essentially true but the City fans responded by raising funds to help the club pay for the flights of Monesterolo's loved ones.

Jessica, Monesterolo's 22-year-old wife-to-be, and Thomas landed in Malta last week and were present for Sunday's game in which the twinkle-toed striker put away two fine goals in a 4-3 win over Marsaxlokk.

The expression on Monesterolo's face as he wandered the streets of the capital with Jessica and Thomas told everything about his happiness to have been reunited with his family.

"I'm surely happier now that I have my girlfriend and son with me," he reflected. "My mind is clear."

I asked Monesterolo whether Malta has lived up to his partner's expectations and she promptly replied: "Yes, I like it a lot."

Greater heights

With the feeling of emptiness that comes from being away from one's family now gone, Monesterolo is even more determined to power Valletta to greater heights.

"First of all I want to thank the committee and the supporters for bringing my girlfriend and my son to Malta," Monesterolo said.

"I kissed the Valletta badge after scoring against Marsaxlokk as a way of saying thank you to all those people who helped me.

"Valletta are playing the best football in the Championship Pool at the moment. Our aim is to win the FA Trophy but we also want to improve our position in the standings.

"I'm confident that if we continue to perform as we've been doing lately, we can win the trophy."

Monesterolo's assertion is certainly music to the ears of the Valletta fans who will also be more than delighted to learn that Monesterolo yesterday signed a new one-year deal with the club.

"I'm very happy to stay with Valletta for another year," Monesterolo said.

"I feel good to have concluded this deal early because like that I will concentrate on my football rather than thinking about my next move.

"With regards to my future, I wish to fulfil my dream of playing in Spain but first I want to do well for Valletta FC."