Composed Agius justifies recall - November 21, 2008

At 22, Agius has yet to reach the peak of his career but the voices urging Dusan Fitzel to call up the youngster had grown louder in recent months amid calls for an injection of new blood into the national squad.

For those unfamiliar with the national selections, Agius may be something of an unknown quantity, given that the young defender left the island in search of pastures new when he was still 16.

It's precisely his unshakeable resolve to raise his standards and pursue a professional career that has seen Agius improve by leaps and bounds in recent years.

Judging by his performance on Wednesday, Agius is ready for the next major breakthrough by holding down a regular place in the national team.

"It's every player's ambition to represent his country in international football and I'm no different," Agius, currently on the books of Italian Serie C2 team Igea Virtus, told The Times after Wednesday's match.

"This friendly was important for me and the entire team as it formed part of our preparations for the next World Cup qualifiers. On a personal level, I'm delighted that the coach has brought me back into the squad.

"I'm generally satisfied with how things panned out for me in the past three days but I also have a tinge of disappointment because I made a mistake that led to Iceland's goal."

When it was put to Agius that, bar that moment early in the second half when his backheader inadvertently left the way clear for Heidar Helguson to beat Mario Muscat for Iceland's winner, his showing had been excellent, he promptly replied: "It's up to others to judge my performance."

Agius is in his second year with Sicily-based Igea Virtus and though he's happy there, another season in the Serie C2 was not in his plans last summer. After impressing in his season-long loan spell with Igea, Agius was rewarded with a four-year contract by Messina, then in Italy's Serie B.

The Malta centre-back had high hopes of breaking into Messina's first XI and was looking forward to starting pre-season training but his optimism turned into disappointment when he learned that the financially-stricken club had gone bust.

This heralded a period of uncertainty for Agius who had a trial with Serie B club Rimini before he elected to return to Igea Virtus.

"After signing a four-year contract with Messina, I thought that my future was secure but my plans were thrown into disarray with the news that the club had gone into administration. Rimini offered me a contract but I decided not to join them because my first-team opportunities would have been limited there. I wanted to secure regular football and with Igea, I knew that I would get that."

Agius has no regrets about rejoining Igea Virtus. "I'm satisfied with my contribution so far," he said.

It speaks volumes for Agius's sound principles that he instantly ruled out a January move when asked if an offer from a bigger club would tempt him to leave Igea.

"I have made a commitment to Igea and I want to honour it," Agius insisted. "My plan is to finish this season with Igea, out of respect for the club, my team-mates and the people around the club."

Igea had a difficult start to the Serie C2 league but their results have improved lately. Last weekend, they beat Manfredonia 2-0 to climb out of the relegation zone in the 18-team league.

"We started badly but that was to be expected because the team was virtually put together in one month," Agius remarked.

"We have only lost once in the last six matches and things are looking better now. Our objective this season is not to win promotion or qualify for the play-offs but to stay in the Serie C2. I believe that survival is not beyond our reach."

Apart from his wish to help Igea preserve their status, Agius is also keen to keep his place in the Maltese squad for the remaining World Cup Group One qualifiers.

"It's the coach who selects the players he wants to form part of the national squad," Agius said.

"From my side, I will continue to work hard to keep a high level of performance for my club but then it's up to others to monitor my progress. But, as I said, it's always a pleasure for me to play for the national team."

Although he is considered as one of Fitzel's new recruits, Agius's run-out against Iceland was his third appearance for Malta.

Long wait

However, he had to wait more than two years to add to his two caps, having last figured for Malta in the 1-0 defeat to Japan in a pre-World Cup 2006 friendly in Dusseldorf.

Despite his long absence from the senior squad, Agius immediately felt at home upon joining up with his international team-mates on Monday.

"I felt at ease straightaway," Agius said. "The other players were very supportive. After I made that mistake during the game, my team-mates offered me words of encouragement and that helped to alleviate the pressure from my shoulders. I was gutted that my error resulted in a goal for Iceland but I didn't allow it to affect my confidence."

Agius also acknowledged that his status as a full-time player helped him in no small measure to approach Wednesday's international with confidence.

"I'm still young but I've been playing professional football for a number of years now," Agius said.

"Being a full-time player entails a lot of dedication. I mean football is my job and my lifestyle is centred around it. For me, playing a tough match like this one was nothing new.

"The level of international football is quite high but I relish new challenges because I'm always pushing myself to greater heights."