Karmenu Micallef was born on October 9, 1943.
Known to his many friends as ‘Id-Dunda’, Micallef was a clever, goal-scoring inside-forward with a bustling style of play and a tremendous burst of speed which often left opposing defenders gaping.
Dark in complexion and rather chubby he resembled a Brazilian both in appearance and in his skills with the ball.
Micallef started playing football at the age of 16 with St John’s FC of San Ġwann but a year later he joined Birkirkara.
In those days, the Stripes were known as the yo-yo club of Maltese football. Time and again they won promotion to the top division only to slide back into the Second Division a season or two later.
Micallef stayed with Birkirkara up to 1969, helping the club to win a number of honours in the Second Division.
However, it was obvious that a player of his quality deserved to be playing regularly in the top division. Hibs came calling and in 1969 he joined the Paola club with whom he stayed for four glorious seasons.
With Hibs, Micallef won two FA Trophy medals, the Independence Cup and twice the Sons of Malta Cup.
During his stay at Paola, Micallef received international recognition when on October 11, 1970 he came on as a substitute for John Bonett during the European Nations Cup match against Greece that ended in a 1-1 draw.
He went on to play seven more times for Malta.
In all, he played 72 first-team games for Hibernians and scored 13 goals.
In 1977 he decided to re-join his hometown club Birkirkara.
I have been privileged to see Micallef in action many times as a Hibs’ player. I was always impressed by his speed and ball control but never more than in the Cup Winners Cup game against Real Madrid when Hibs held the Spanish giants to a 0-0 draw at the Stadium.
Hibs played a great game that day and with a bit of luck they could have even won the match.
The Paolites hit the crossbar as early as the second minute of the game through a fierce shot from Micallef which had the Spanish goalkeeper well beaten.
Hibernians could have also scored the winner in the dying minutes of the game when ‘Dunda’ raced through the Spanish defence to meet a pass from Buckle. His shot, however, sailed over the bar.
During his second spell with Birkirkara, Micallef played another 50 games in the top division before he retired in 1978.
After quitting the game, Micallef continued to follow the fortunes of his old clubs and he was a frequent spectator at the National Stadium.
Unfortunately, he suffered a fatal heart attack on March 25, 2011 while watching a Birkirkara league game at the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali.
It was a heart-breaking moment not only for his family and those who knew him but also for those who followed the game in Malta in the Seventies.