Luis Edison ‘Tarabai’, the Premier League’s leading scorer, tells Kevin Azzopardi that his joy at Hibernians’ title victory is tempered by sadness as he can’t enjoy this success with his former team-mates after moving to South Korea last month

Waking up to the news that Hibernians had been crowned champions was a bittersweet moment for Luis Edison ‘Tarabai’.

His delight at Hibs’ league triumph was tinged with sadness as the Brazilian striker can’t take part in the celebrations.

Tarabai now lives more than 9,200 kilometres away from Malta but the prolific striker has nevertheless played a starring role in Hibs’ title march having scored 25 goals before heading to South Korea last month to join Seoul E-Land on an initial season-long loan deal.

“I’m very happy that Hibs have won the championship,” Tarabai told Times of Malta from Seoul.

“We, the Brazilian players, have been working really hard to win the league.

“We came very close in recent seasons but some mistakes here and there cost us the title.

“This is the best moment of my career and I’m delighted.

“On the other hand, I’m a little bit sad because I’m not there to enjoy this success.

“My overall performance this season has been the best so far as I’ve scored a lot of goals but I can’t be there to live this moment.

“Malta is a special country for me. I’d like to say a big thank you to the Hibs fans.

“I’m also grateful to all the football followers in Malta because they respect me as a player.

“Malta has given me the opportunity to show my talent as well as the confidence that I can play anywhere.

“I will always regard Malta as the best country I’ve been to.”

Although Tarabai was not present when Hibs completed their title mission with a 3-1 victory over Floriana, he was not far from the thoughts of his former team-mates and fans.

After the game on Saturday, Hibs’ Brazilian players posted a picture on Facebook of them holding cut-out portraits of Tarabai with his distinctive spiky hairstyle.

“It was a big surprise,” the 29-year-old said of the picture.

“I really didn’t know about it. I was sleeping when my friends uploaded that picture.

“When I opened my eyes around 7am, as we had a training session at 8am, I fetched my mobile phone and there were 200 messages on my Facebook account.

“I got emotional when I saw the picture... it brought tears to my eyes.

“The players have given their all from the first game of the season to the last one and this is why Hibs are the new champions.

“We’ve been the best team this season, with all respect to Birkirkara and Valletta.”

It is testament to Tarabai’s excellent form this season that he is still leading the top scorers’ chart with 25 goals, more than a month after leaving Hibs to join Seoul E-Land.

His prospects of winning Malta’s version of the golden boot are under threat from a player he helped to lure to Hibs as Jorginho has pulled to within three goals of his fellow countryman after his brace against Floriana but, whatever the outcome, Tarabai will be happy.

Malta means a lot to me and I would be happy to play for the national team

“To be honest, I’m very happy for my friend Jorginho,” Tarabai remarked.

“When I started with Hibs, Jorginho was playing for Qormi. I wanted him to join my team because I was convinced that we could form a good partnership.

“Don’t forget that Jorginho and I played for the same club in Hungary (Kecskemeti).

“We returned to Malta after a few months but it was not because we were not good enough to make the grade in Hungary as some speculated at the time.

“The club had no money. The coach asked me to stay but I told him that I have a family and I can’t remain at a club that is not paying our wages.”

“Jorginho has had an amazing campaign,” Tarabai added.

“He has helped me and I’ve helped him. He has scored 22 goals and I’ve provided 15 assists.

“Jorginho is a good striker and I will be glad if he finishes the season as top scorer. On Saturday, he scored two important goals that handed Hibs the title.”

Tarabai is still finding his feet with Seoul E-Land. The timing of his move was not ideal as Tarabai linked up with his new club on the eve of the 2015 K League Challenge (second division) after playing more than 25 games for Hibernians.

For the past four weeks, Tarabai has been following a rigorous training regime designed to pep up his physical condition but, despite being limited to 20 minutes of first-team football, he is confident of making his mark once he starts playing.

“South Korea is the best Asian country I’ve visited,” he said.

“I did my pre-season last summer. I have played 27 games in Malta and when I arrived here, my physical condition was going down.

“In fact, I was a bit tired and the coach put me with a personal trainer.

“The season here is long. Clubs play more than 40 games, so I might end up playing around 70 matches in one year if you add up my appearances for Hibs.

Hard training

“I’m preparing my body to cope with the physical demands of the Korean season. In the first month, I’ve done a lot of physical training.

“When I arrived in Seoul, I was told to rest for a week-and-a-half to give the body time to recover.

“I’ve been training very hard in the last few weeks. Sometimes I feel dead after training but I’m feeling a lot stronger now.

“The coach has been very understanding. He explained that the aim was to make me a stronger player. The coach has been telling me: ‘You can be the top scorer in this league and the best player. I’ve seen your videos and I know that all you need is the chance to show what you can do’”.

Switching his attention back to Hibs, Tarabai has no doubts that the newly-crowned champions will be ultra moti-vated to finish the season unbeaten and complete the double by winning the FA Trophy.

Given Tarabai’s affection for Malta, it would be no surprise if someone were to propose him for Maltese citizenship, also considering that the Brazilian’s association with our football goes back to 2010.

News that French waterpolo player Aurelien Cousin, now on the books of San Ġiljan, has obtained a Maltese passport prompted suggestions that the local authorities have become more receptive to the idea of granting citizenship to outstanding athletes who are willing to represent our country.

In football, promising Hibs youngster Joseph Mbong, who was only two when his family relocated to Malta from Nigeria, was granted Maltese citizenship last year and Alfred Effiong, who was also born in Nigeria, has already earned two caps for Malta.

Effiong qualified for a Maltese passport as he has been married to a Maltese for the past five years.

Asked if he would be willing to play for Malta, he replied: “For me, that is a very big decision. If I receive such proposal, I would consult with my family but I must admit that Malta means a lot to me and I would be happy to play for the national team.

“It would be an honour for me and, if it ever happens, I will give my 200 per cent like I do at club level.”