Leli Borg was born in Birkirkara on October 17, 1927.
‘Id-Diju’, as he was affectionately known, was another product of the youth team of the 1940s, Birkirkara Celtic. He was one of the heroes from Birkirkara who beat the famous Ajax of Floriana on June 9, 1946 in the Anglo Maltese Cup final.
In 1947-48, Borg joined Birkirkara United in the second division. At first, he played on the wing but then switched to defence.
He looked equally comfortable at left-back or centre-half. It was in this position that he played against Sliema Reserves on April 25, 1948.
Birkirkara lost 3-0 but Borg’s performance impressed the Wanderers who, the following season, made a move for him.
Borg made his first division debut for his new club at left-back on October 16, 1948 against Valletta. It was a tough baptism for the youngster because he had to face the great Salvinu Schembri at his very best.
Borg had a good game and although Schembri scored the winning goal, the Sliema defender emerged with flying colours. That season, Borg played nine games in the first team, helping the Blues to win the league championship.
Borg stayed with the Wanderers for four years. In those days, the Blues had a formidable team. Borg did make the occasional appearance in the first team but spent most of his time in Sliema playing for the second division side.
It was clear to him that he had no future with the Wanderers and at the end of season 1951-52 he asked for a transfer and returned to Birkirkara.
As luck would have it, Borg made his debut for the Stripes in the first league game of the season against the Wanderers.
Between 1952 and 1956 Borg hardly missed a game. He played a total of 51 league matches, all in the first division.
Then, on March 25, 1956, disaster struck in the league game against Sliema.
The Blues won a tough game 5-2 with goals from Sammy Nicholl (2), Salvinu Schembri, Ninu Calleja and Tony Nicholl.
The contest was very entertaining but it was also rough and full of unsavoury incidents.
The game descended into chaos when Borg stopped Joe ‘Jockey’ Xuereb in the penalty area.
Was it a penalty or a dive?
The public opinion was mixed but referee Agius pointed to the dreaded spot.
Almost immediately, he was surrounded by angry Birkirkara players. There was a lot of pushing and the referee took exception to something Borg must have said and dismissed the Birkirkara man.
Borg paid dearly for his misbehaviour as he was suspended for life in the subsequent inquiry.
It was a harsh decision and after many appeals and protests in the local media, the MFA reduced his punishment to two years.
Borg made a welcome return to the game and continued to play for four more seasons before he retired. His last game was the league match against Hibs on December 6, 1962.