Igor Coronado, Floriana’s Brazilian livewire, tells Kevin Azzopardi that he’s enjoying Maltese football but his ambition is to test himself in one of the main European countries
Foreign players usually take their time to adapt to the complexities of Maltese football but Igor Coronado didn’t encounter such problems.
Coronado was something of an unknown quantity when, in November last year, he joined the then misfiring Floriana but not before long the Brazilian’s electric performances earned him a reputation as one of the best foreigners in the BOV Premier League.
After playing a prominent role in Floriana’s renaissance in the second half of last season, Coronado gained official recognition for his terrific impact on the championship as he was named best foreign player of the Premier League at the annual Malta FA awards.
News last summer that Coronado, still only 21, had extended his contract with Floriana for another year inevitably delighted the Greens fans as the Brazilian is the type of player who can dazzle with his pace, technique and shooting prowess.
Amid Floriana’s struggles to find their form in the early weeks of the campaign, Coronado looked far from his best after a minor injury had disrupted his pre-season but in the last few games, he has shown signs of rediscovering his sparkle.
On Sunday, Coronado certainly looked back to his best as he set up Steve Pisani for Floriana’s opener before hitting a fine goal to salvage a point for his team in a 2-2 draw with Hibernians.
“It’s true, the start of the season was quite tough for me but I kept pushing,” Coronado, who is Floriana’s leading scorer with five goals, told Times of Malta.
“Thanks God, I’m now back to scoring goals and my performances are improving. I hope to keep going like that.”
In a way, Coronado’s initial toils epitomised those of his team as Floriana endured a difficult start to their campaign after being hit with a six-point penalty.
The sanction overshadowed a busy transfer campaign by the Greens, headed by president Steve Vaughan, and appeared to have undermined the team’s morale and their bid to challenge for a berth in the Championship Pool.
“Starting with minus six points is not easy for any team but at Floriana, we’ve got the right staff, the right coach, the right players and the right mentality to overcome this handicap,” Coronado said.
‘We’ve been striving to prove ourselves even though we had a slow start to the season. We’re pushing strongly for a top-six position and I believe that we are now showing our capabilities.”
Coming after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Mosta, Floriana’s draw with leaders Hibernians went some way towards highlighting their potential as Ian Dawes’s side have now taken five points from their last three games.
Coronado admitted to mixed feelings after Sunday’s game as he felt that Hibs were there for the taking.
“We could have won the game,” Coronado said.
“We are approaching matches with the right attitude. Everyone wants to win and all the players are willing to fight for the club.
“There are no problems among the players.
“Hibernians are a strong team. They haven’t lost a game, so a draw against them is not a bad result but we were a bit disappointed because we felt that we could have taken the three points.”
Financial constraints make it difficult for Maltese clubs to attract high-quality foreigners but Floriana surely have one of the most gifted players in Coronado.
Showing refreshing honesty, Coronado admitted that he decided to continue his career in Malta last November after encountering difficulties to join a new club with the 2012/13 season already underway.
“I was playing for the U-21 team of Grasshoppers and when my contract finished, I went back to England,” Coronado said.
“But the league there had already started and I couldn’t find a club.
“At the time, I met a guy who knew Steve Vaughan and he made the contact for me to join Floriana.
“I’m really enjoying the country and the football here. I’m happy and while I’m playing for Floriana, I will continue to give my 100 per cent but my ambition is to play in a better league in the future.
“I’ve been here for a year and I’m happy that I won the best foreign player award at the end of last season.
“I was also a bit lucky because, when I came here, Floriana had some problems with players who had just left the club and that made it easier for me to get into the team”
Coronado doesn’t have a ranking order of the countries where he wishes to play in the future.
“I’ll go where’s best for my career, that’s my main target,” Coronado said.
Although Coronado is settled at Floriana, he has high hopes of landing a move to a bigger league next season.
Asked whether he had been approached by other clubs in the close season, Coronado replied: “There are a lot of rumours that other Maltese clubs are interested in me but to be honest I don’t know if this is true or not.
“I have just signed for a Brazilian agent who runs a big company. He represents some top players, like Fernandinho who is with Manchester City.
“But as I said, this season I’m 100 per cent focused on Floriana.”
Coronado’s desire to carve out a successful footballing career saw him leave his home country for England when he was only 11 years old.
“I left Brazil when I was only 11,” Coronado said. “I joined MK Dons when I was 15. I also spent some eight months in Italy as I have an Italian passport.”
With English football still regarded as one of the most physical in Europe, some critics have suggested that Coronado’s failure to make the breakthrough in the UK may have been down to his lithe frame but the player disputes such claim.
“Even with me being a small player, I know how to handle the big guys with my qualities,” Coronado said.
“Some coaches said I have a problem to adapt to English football because I’m too small but I don’t agree with them.
“When I was at MK Dons, Paul Ince, the former England international, wanted to sign me as a pro but he left the club soon after.
“He really liked me as a player.
“Roberto Di Matteo also had a spell in charge of MK Dons and he also spoke highly of me.
“Their comments have strengthened my belief that I can perform at a high level, even in England.”
BOV Premier League statistics
Scorers and red cards
Balzan: Agius, Scicluna, Aboulezz, Bezzina, Pereira, Darmanin, Negrin, Sciberras, Spiteri.
Red cards: Agius (vs Vittoriosa), Vignaroli (vs Sliema), Aboulezz (vs Mosta), Falzon (vs Naxxar), Grioli (vs Naxxar).
Birkirkara: Haruna 4; Temile 2; Matheus 2; Toure, Jhonnattann, Zerafa.
Own goal: Camilleri (vs Valletta).
Red card: Bissi (vs Hibernians).
Floriana: Coronado 5; Bogdanovic 2, Muir 2, Pisani 2; Diogo.
Hibernians: Edison 6; Failla 5 (3 pens); Cohen 4; Lima 3, Soares 3; Levnaic, Farrugia, Obiefule.
Red cards: Pearson (vs Vittoriosa), Camilleri (vs Mosta).
Mosta: Fernandes 4 (1 pen; Kaljevic 3 (1 pen); Grech 2; Brincat, Farrugia, Pereira, Micallef, Silva Faria.
Own goals: S. Gauci (vs Rabat), Bugeja (vs Qormi).
Naxxar Lions: Gilmar 4 (1 pen); Falzon 3; Rocha Da Silva 2 (1 pen), Thiago 2; Scerri, Buhagiar.
Red cards: Drago (vs Sliema); Buhagiar (vs Tarxien).
Qormi: Effiong 4; Innocenti 2, Bajada 2 (1 pen.); Sammut, Bugeja, Grech, Jorginho.
Rabat Ajax: Carrillo 2; Licari, Pelaez, Avila Perez.
Red card: Falzon (vs Mosta).
Sliema Wanderers: Ohawuchi 9; Navarra 2, Muchardi 2; Bello-Osagie (pen), Cilia, A. Muscat.
Red cards: Gatt Baldacchino (vs Tarxien), Mintoff (vs Valletta).
Tarxien Rainbows: Ronallie 7 (1 pen); Jorge 4; Martinelli, Mamo.
Red cards: Potezica (vs Hibernians), Jorge (vs Sliema), Lopes (vs Rabat).
Valletta: Denni 6; Nafti 3; Barry, Camilleri, Zammit, Nyang, Romulo, Caruana, Fenech, Mifsud Triganza, Agius.
Red cards: Agius (vs Mosta), Denni (vs Hibernians).
Vittoriosa Stars: Guerrero 7 (1 pen.); Pereira, Teruel, Martin.
Red card: Aguiar (vs Tarxien Rainbows).
Next fixtures
Saturday
(Centenary Stadium)
14.00 Qormi vs Rabat Ajax
16.00 Tarxien Rainbows vs Valletta
(Tedesco Stadium)
14.00 Hibernians vs Balzan
16.15 Mosta vs Sliema Wanderers
Sunday
(Tedesco Stadium)
14.00 Naxxar Lions vs Vittoriosa Stars
16.15 Floriana vs Birkirkara