Salvu Bonnici – 1934-2015.One by one they are all passing away.
I know that it is morbid thinking but I can’t help feeling sad seeing those heroes of my youth passing away into distant memory. During the last few months I had to write the obituary of quite a number of them.
There were Eddie Theobald, Andrew Bartolo, Joe Cassar Naudi, Charlie Schembri, Harry Ear and the latest in this list was Sliema Wanderers and Malta centre-half, Salvu Bonnici.
Bonnici was born in Sliema on December 21, 1934. He was the youngest of the Bonnici brood which included the twins Ġużi and Michael, both of whom played for the Wanderers.
Like many Sliema stars of the Sixties and Seventies, Bonnici played his first football at the Sliema Primary School and the Salesians Boys Brigade. The Salesians Youth Centre was, in those days, the breeding ground of many fine Maltese footballers.
Bonnici joined Sliema in 1951. From the minors he moved to the Third and Second Division sides until he made his first-team debut on October 31, 1954 in a 3-1 victory over Hibernians.
Teaming up with his elder brother, Ġużi, he soon settled down in the heart of the Blues’ formidable defence and from that moment on he never looked back.
Bonnici went on to play 201 competitive matches for Sliema before he left in the summer of 1967 to join Zebbug Rangers.
He played his first match for Zebbug in the Second Division league on October 6, 1968 in a 3-1 victory over Lija Athletic. In 1969-70, Bonnici helped Rangers win promotion to the First Division.
During his long and successful career, Bonnici won various major honours for the Wanderers which included five championship, four FA Trophy, three Cassar Cup and four Scicluna Cup medals. He also won the Testaferrata Cup, the MFA League and the Independence Cup on one occasion.
Bonnici was also capped twice with the full Malta side and once for the Malta B. He played eight times for Sliema in European club matches and 32 times in prestigious friendly matches against foreign clubs visiting the islands.
His greatest moments were the winning of the Quadruple Crowns in 1955-56, under coach Jock Gilmour, and the 1964-65 triumph under Hungarian coach, Janos Bedl.
Great performances
Many agree that Bonnici’s best games of his playing career came in the 1955-56 tourney game against Beograd, which Sliema won 1-0, and another tourney match against South End United in May 1965.
On both occasions, he was the heart and soul of the Sliema defence and it was mainly thanks to him that the Wanderers obtained these prestigious results.
Bonnici was a stopper centre-half. He was good in the tackle and his imposing physique stood him in good stead at a time when the game was much more physical than it is nowadays.
His passing was also good and it was one of his characteristics to start an attack with a measured pass to an unmarked colleague. His chief asset however was his accuracy in the tackle which enabled him to nip in the bud many threatening moves.
Bonnici was definitely one of the best central defenders of his era and it is a wonder that he was only picked twice for the full international Malta XI.
He died early last month leaving behind him fond memories of the greatest era in the history of Sliema Wanderers FC.