Etienne Barbara took little time to win the hearts of the Hibs faithful after netting a hat-trick on his debut for the Paolites in a 3-1 win over Marsaxlokk on Sunday.
Barbara had only been on the books of Hibs for less than 72 hours but needed just three minutes to score his first goal for the champions with a clinical finish before going on to add two other goals in an impressive return to the local scene.
His efforts on Sunday marked a turn in fortunes for Barbara who in the last weeks had been looking to secure a move abroad after his stint with German Regionalliga side SC Verle ended last May.
Although still harbouring hopes of winning a contract abroad, Barbara is enjoying life as a Hibs player.
"This has been a fairytale start to my career as a Hibs player," Barbara told The Times yesterday.
"Never in a million years did I expect to score a hat-trick on my debut after just one training session with Hibs. Most of the credit should go to my team-mates who have made things straightforward for me on the pitch.
"It's easy to perform when you are surrounded with so many excellent players like Andrew Cohen, Mario Muscat, Rumen Galabov and Christian Callejas. They are among the best we have in the Premier League.
"Besides, I knew coach Mark Miller for many years as he was the one who gave me my debut in the Premier League as a 16-year-old at Floriana so I knew what to expect. I hope that this isn't a one-off as I know that there are a lot of expectations on my shoulders and I want to keep scoring regularly."
At Hibernians, Barbara has been given the tough task of replacing last season's top scorer Terrence Scerri, now at Valletta.
"That's a big challenge for me as Terrence is a great goal scorer," Barbara said.
"No surprise he was the leading marksman last season. But I thrive on challenges and I'm ready to deliver the goods."
While Barbara is enjoying the start of his latest chapter in his football career, which also saw him donning the colours of Floriana, Marsaxlokk, Birkirkara and Sliema, the 27-year-old is still harbouring dreams of pursuing his career abroad.
"Playing in a foreign championship is still top of my ambitions," Barbara said.
"This summer I tried hard to win a contract abroad but unfortunately it failed to materialise. I know that to achieve my objective I have to perform well for Hibs on a consistent level. That is the only way to attract attention from foreign clubs.
"It's still early to say what will happen but at the moment I'm fully committed to my new club. We have high hopes and I'm looking to play a major role in Hibs' challenge for the major honours this season."