The painstaking process of picking the 18 players who will represent Malta in the UEFA Under-17 Championship finals on home soil is now complete as coach Sergio Soldano yesterday announced his squad ahead of the opening Group A match against England on Friday at the National Stadium.
Among those named in Soldano’s selection, 13 were born in 1997, four in 1998 and one in 1999.
There are no major surprises as Soldano is relying on the bulk of players who have figured regularly for the Under-17 side in friendly matches and tournaments over the past two years.
Midfielder Connor Borg, who plays for Chievo in Italy, and 15-year-old Myles Beerman, who turns out for Manchester City’s junior team but is still on the books of Floriana FC, are the two foreign-based players in Soldano’s squad.
Matthew Guillaumier, who has just turned 16, is one of four players who are also part of the national U-16 squad (1998).
Despite his tender age, Guillaumier has been a first-choice player for Division One side St Andrew’s since returning from a short stint with Empoli.
Striker Jake Aidan Friggieri, who caught the eye of scouts during the Caput Mundi Tournament in Rome, is one of three Sliema Wanderers players in the squad.
Floriana and Hibernians also have three players in the final list.
Not surprisingly, Hibs forward Joseph Mbong, who was recently granted Maltese citizenship on sporting grounds, made the cut.
The oldest player in the squad is Balzan midfielder Juan Corbalan, the son of former Ħamrun Spartans player Miguel Corbalan.
Soldano admitted that selecting the final 18 players from a list of 24 was anything but a straightforward task.
“When I was deciding on my final list, I remembered how I felt when I was left out of the Argentina squad for the Under-20 World Cup back in 1979,” Soldano said.
“It’s not an easy situation. I was thinking about the work put in by all the players over the past two years. I would have liked to include all of them but it was not possible.
“We had to consider many factors. There were some who have fitness problems and others who must sit school examinations at this particular period.
“This situation also influenced my choices but I have to say that these youngsters have worked tremendously hard over the last two years.”
Soldano hopes that Malta’s performances in a daunting Group A containing England, The Netherlands and Turkey will vindicate his decisions.
“We have pondered long and hard about the form and condition of the players,” Soldano said.
“We think that we have made the right decisions and we believe a lot in this group. In our squad, we have four boys who were born in 1998 and one in 1999 whereas most of the other competing nations are banking on players born between January and May of 1997.”
With Malta’s much-awaited debut in this prestigious UEFA tournament only two days away, Soldano is satisfied with the mood inside his group.
“The moment of truth has arrived,” Soldano said.
“At the moment, the atmosphere among the players is neither too relaxed nor too tense. The mood is right and let’s hope that it remains like this up until kick-off on Friday.
“We have had individual conversations with all the players this week.
“With the Malta FA’s permission, we have also invited five players who were left out of the final 18 to join us at the hotel as they are also part of the group.”
Malta Under-17 squad
Goalkeepers: Jamie Azzopardi (Mosta), Mikhail Sciberras (Balzan).
Defenders: Daniel Buckle (Hibernians), Christian Degabriele (Pietà Hotspurs), Iousef Meli (Sliema Wanderers), Neil Spiteri (Floriana), Jean Borg (Valletta), Nick Ghio (Hibernians).
Midfielders: Connor Borg (Chievo), Juan Corbalan (Balzan), Jake Grech (Hamrun Spartans), Mark Scicluna (Sliema), Neil Tabone (Floriana), Myles Beerman (Floriana/Man. City), Matthew Guillaumier (St Andrew’s).
Forwards: Joseph Mbong (Hibernians), Kyrian Nwoko (St Andrew’s), Aidan Friggieri (Sliema Wanderers).