His best years may be behind him but Gilbert Agius's sound displays for Valletta in their Europa League matches against Keflavik went some way towards cementing his status as one of the best players in Maltese football.
Valletta's passage to the second qualifying round has raised Agius's spirits but the Malta captain is not the kind of person who likes to sit on his laurels.
"Our primary aim was to advance to the second qualifying round of the Europa League and we have done it," Agius told The Times yesterday.
"We are approaching the game against St Patrick's with tranquillity and when there is not much pressure, I believe we can play better."
Agius reckons that St Patrick's are stronger than Keflavik.
"The fact that St Patrick's were one of the seeded teams in the draw says a lot about their pedigree," the 35-year-old said.
"They certainly deserve respect. The level of football in Ireland is higher than Iceland. St Patrick's have already played 20 league matches and that will give them an advantage."
Agius admitted that he felt deflated after Valletta lost the Premier League title to Hibs and then went down on penalties to Sliema Wanderers in the FA Trophy final but the team's encouraging start to the 2009/10 season has given him a new lease of life.
"My morale was down and I needed fresh motivation," Agius said.
"I think the appointment of a new coach and the signing of two foreign players of a certain calibre, was a source of inspiration for the team.
"Now we're through to the second qualifying round of the Europa League and to be honest, I feel re-energised by all this buzz."
Agius feels that the changes at the club in the close season were central to the side's prosperous start to the season.
"We went into our matches against Keflavik with loads of enthusiasm," Agius remarked.
"A new coach automatically spurs the players to raise their game in order to leave a good impression.
"As such, there haven't been drastic changes because Valletta have only signed three players. The squad is more or less the same but there's a new-found sense of team spirit."
Agius is keen to add more honours to his already impressive array.
"This term has started on a good note as it's not usual that a Maltese team reaches the second round of a European competition," he said.
"My objective is to win more honours because a player's career is defined by success."
There have been suggestions that Agius is now 'too old' to cope with the rigours of international football but his showings for Valletta suggest otherwise. With 116 caps attached to his name, Agius has nothing to prove but he has no intention of quitting.
"I didn't play in Malta's last two matches but I've always said, that as long as I'm fit, I will continue to make myself available for the national team," Agius said.