David Carabott spent the best years of his career with Hibs.

David Carabott joined Marsaxlokk FC in 1979 as a minor player.

This event was not chronicled in any of the newspapers and there was no reason it should have been either. This was, after all, something that happens every day in football.

Many are the youngsters who sign for their local football club hoping to make a career in the sport. This event, however, was different because Carabott, coming from one of the smallest clubs within the Malta FA fold, was destined for big things.

Carabott was not only to develop into one of the best Maltese players of his era but also became the most capped player in the history of our national team.

By the end of the 2003-04 season, he had already played 122 times for the country and scored 12 goals.

Carabott was born on June 18, 1968 in Melbourne, Australia, but came to Malta with his family when still very young.

He made his Third Division league debut for Marsaxlokk FC in 1981-82 against Mellieħa but he took some time to establish himself in the team.

During the next three years, he only managed a few matches for the first team but by 1984, he had more or less become a permanent fixture in the team.

One of the first exponents of the modern wing-back approach, he made his presence felt in the team with his non-stop running on the right flank and his ability to score goals.

Soon, the big clubs were taking notice and although playing in the lowest rung of the league ladder, he was considered a bright pro-spect for the future.

Carabott stayed with Marsa-xlokk for three seasons before he was approached by Hibernians with an offer to join the Premier League club. Carabott accepted and I do not think that he ever had cause to regret it.

He spent 13 years with Hibs, playing 221 league matches for the club and scoring 51 goals. He also won two league championship medals with the Paolites and an FA Trophy and a Super Cup winners’ medal.

The first part of his career with Hibernians was perhaps somewhat uneventful though.

Despite playing regularly for the national team, Carabott did not win any honours but when coach Brian Talbot joined the club in 1992, things were to change dramatically.

Talbot used his vast experience to transform the team from a mid-table outfit into a championship-winning side.

He trained the team to superb fitness levels and fine-tuned his squad to such an extent that he made Carabott and his team-mates much better players.

The Talbot era was definitely the best part of Carabott’s career. He was at the top of his form and recognised by everybody as the best wing-back in the Maltese league.

International debut

Carabott made his international debut on November 15, 1987 in the 1-1 draw against Switzerland. He remained a key member of the national team set-up for many years, becoming the most-capped Maltese player.

His 12 international goals made him one of the top scorers for the country at the time.

The highlight of his international career was perhaps the prestigious friendly against England in 2000 when he scored an excellent goal against the founders of the game.

By that time, Carabott had won everything with Hibernians except the Footballer of the Year award which had always eluded him.

His game started to suffer and rather than seeing his career begin to dwindle he decided to seek a new challenge.

Therefore, he asked for a transfer and joined Premier League rivals Valletta.

With the Citizens, Carabott entered a new phase of his career.

In 2000-01 he played an important part in the team that won all six honours available in the Maltese football calendar including the prestigious Centenary Cup.

In 2003-04, however, he left to rejoin his old club Marsaxlokk, now in the top flight.

During his first season, he made 20 appearances for the seasiders, helping the team to reach their first ever FA Trophy final which they lost to Sliema Wanderers. The following year he only played six games for Marsaxlokk and finished the season on loan at Għajnsielem.

Carabott left in summer of 2005 to join Msida St Joseph.

His stay in Msida, however, was short and he was released in December that year after making just 10 appearances.

But, his career was not over yet and joining Sliema he helped the Blues to win the Premier League.

The next year Carabott was a regular in the Sliema side but by now he was nearing the end of his long career and after another stint in Gozo with Għajnsielem, he joined Balzan Youths as player-coach for the 2009-10 season.

In January 2010, he decided to move back to his hometown club Marsaxlokk with whom he re-mained up to the end of the season when he retired from playing to concentrate on coaching.