Michael Mifsud has further embellished his status as one of the greats of Maltese football after becoming the country’s most capped player with a total of 123 appearances, eclipsing David Carabott’s long-standing record.

The 900-odd Maltese fans stood up to applaud Mifsud as he approached the touchline to replace Alfred Effiong nine minutes into the second half of the 2-0 defeat to Iceland in Tuesday’s friendly match at the National Stadium.

After Mifsud had equalled Carabott’s mark in the 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Slovenia on Friday, it was a matter of when not if the 35-year-old striker, who is also the country’s all-time leading scorer with 40 goals, would shatter the record.

Many had expected Mifsud to start the friendly against Iceland on Tuesday but he began on the bench before entering the fray in the second half.

Mifsud said he had received no assurances from national coach Pietro Ghedin that he was going to feature against Iceland as the record-bid issue was not discussed before the game.

“I’m a professional player and I accept the decisions of the coach,” Mifsud told Times of Malta.

“The coach took the opportunity to see other players but I prepared for the game as I always do.

“The line-up is announced just before the game, so I had no idea whether I was starting or not.

“Naturally, I would have liked to start but I was delighted to get the chance to come on as a substitute early in the second half.”

Shame that Mifsud’s historic moment was witnessed by a few supporters but the captain admitted that he was eager to reach his target in Malta’s last official outing this year.

“There have been games I’ve been involved in and others where I didn’t play,” Mifsud said.

“But, I was delighted to establish the new record before the end of this year.”

It speaks volumes of Mifsud’s enduring importance to the national team that his career at international level spans more than 16 years.

The Valletta forward has played a starring role in Malta’s best moments in the last two decades, including netting five goals in a 7-1 win over Liechtenstein in a 2008 friendly and scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory over Armenia in Yerevan in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.

“I’ve been representing my country for over 16 years,” Mifsud reminisced.

I’ve come across different characters and seen so many changes in the dressing-room atmosphere in all these years

“I have so many nice memories, especially of the away wins, and the dressing-room banter.

“I’ve been fortunate to get into the national team at a very young age.

“When I started, there were many high-profile players in the team, big personalities like Carmel Busuttil, Joe Brincat and Joe Galea.

“I’ve worked with many coaches and played with so many different players. I’ve come across different characters and seen so many changes in the dressing-room atmosphere in all these years.”

Beyond the admiration for Mifsud’s amazing feat, Maltese fans have had little to cheer about lately as positive results have been scarce.

The 2-0 defeat to Iceland extended Malta’s losing run to five games and deepened the gloom around the national team and Ghedin heading into the customary four-month break from international football.

In Tuesday’s friendly, Malta produced a vibrant performance in the first half, creating a handful of scoring chances, but struggled to make a sustained reaction after a lapse in concentration at the back enabled Iceland to take the lead inside the opening two minutes of the second half.

Mifsud is confident that Malta will turn their fortunes around but bemoaned the manner of the goals they have conceded and their failure to convert their chances.

“I believe there is a lot of talent in the current Malta squad,” the Valletta striker said.

“The atmosphere in the dressing room is very good, we get on well and we all want the same thing… to do well.

“The performances have been positive but we are conceding goals out of the blue.

“We’re also creating scoring chances but we’re not finishing them and this is punishing us because it’s not like we have a lot of opportunities during the game.

“And we know that goals can alter the course of a match. We’ve been unlucky in certain games.

Russia friendly

“We’re going through a bad period but we’ve been in this kind of situation before and we managed to get through it. Hopefully, our fortunes will improve in the next games, starting with the friendly match against Russia in March.”

Mifsud reaffirmed his determination to extend his football career, both at club and international level, as long as he is fit and healthy.

“Thanks God, I feel very fit,” Mifsud said.

“Every day I train on my own and with my club. Tests show that I’m still one of the fittest players in the country.

“I’m determined to keep going.”

The Malta captain thanked all those who have helped him throughout his career.

“It’s been a very long journey,” Mifsud said.

“I’m delighted to have reached this amazing milestone.

“As I’ve said before, I want to thank all the players I’ve played with in all these years and all the national coaches who have been with me during this exciting adventure.

“My family have also played a big part together with my personal sponsors TeamSport who have always supported me.”