Maltese football has produced its fair share of great goalkeepers whose feats have earned the adulation of the local fans and the praise of foreign visitors to our islands.
One has to go back to the early days of local football, when the game was still played on a friendly basis, to find the first-ever great Maltese goalkeeper. Very few people know of, and certainly no one remembers, Ġużi Miggiani's great goalkeeping displays for the Malta Athletic Club in the first years of the last century. Miggiani was one of the great pioneers of our football not only as an active footballer but also as an administrator.
One great goalkeeping performance old-timers loved to recall was that of Johnnie Perrin for Msida Rangers against St George's way back in 1911. That game was the equivalent of the Bible's story of David and Goliath.
The Saints were the giants of local football and they were expected to beat 'little' Rangers by double figures. Many a bet was placed to that effect. The punters, however, did not reckon with the young and unknown Msida goalkeeper. Perrin defied all odds to keep the scoresheet clean, leaving his brother James to snatch a surprise winner. This was surely one of the biggest upsets in the history of the local game.
Manwel Azzopardi 'Il-Gejta' was one of the best goalkeepers of the pre-World War Two era.
His display for Floriana against SK Hajduks in 1925 is the stuff from which legends are made. That day Azzopardi was simply unbeatable. The Slav forwards used every trick in the book in a futile attempt to find a way past Azzopardi but he withstood their onslaught to the delight of the Maltese and the chagrin of his opponents.
Azzopardi left such an impression on the Hajduks officials and players that when they returned to Malta in 1927-28, they specifically enquired about him. They must have breathed a sigh of relief on learning that he could not play against them because he was serving a long suspension.
Possibly, the best-ever goalkeeping performance of that era was given by Wenzu Gabaretta for St George's against the great Hungarian artists of SK Ferencvaros in 1937-38.
Gabaretta was still at the start of his long and brilliant career. Yet, despite his tender age, he did not even flinch when faced by world-class footballers such as George Sarosi and the hard-shooting Toldi.
Although Gabaretta was eventually beaten three times (two from the penalty spot), his saves inspired his team-mates to a great performance against the holders of the Mitropa Cup, which in those days was considered to be the club championship of Europe.
I have no hesitation in naming Gabaretta as the best Maltese goalkeeper ever. His presence between the sticks was a great psychological fillip for his defenders and it had the exact opposite effect on his opponents. He played many great games in his career but one which readily springs to mind is the 1945-46 FA Trophy final between Sliema Wanderers and Ħamrun Liberty.
Liberty were a Second Division side but in the absence of Ħamrun Spartans, the whole of Ħamrun rallied behind the underdogs. Showing great determination, Liberty pounded Sliema's fort mercilessly. However, despite playing for most of the game with an injured arm, Gabaretta foiled all their efforts and was mainly responsible for the Wanderers' narrow 2-1 victory.
Down the years there were many other great goalkeeping feats in Maltese football. Who could ever forget Ġużi Alamango's heroics against SK Wien in 1949 or 'Yumi' Bonnici's brilliant display for St George's against SK Grazer when the Saints, against all expectations, beat the Austrians 1-0 at the Stadium?
One should also mention Harry Edwards's impeccable performance against SK Austria in 1935-36 and more recently, Jimmy Gatt's one-man show against Sliema Wanderers in the 1967-68 Christmas Cup semi-final. Gatt's heroics had not been seen at the stadium for many years.
However, no narrative of great goalkeeping performances would be complete without mention of Freddie Mizzi's fine display for Malta against Greece in 1970 and his other famous performances for Hibernians against Manchester United in 1967 and Real Madrid in 1970. Both games, as many of The Times readers will remember, saw Hibs gain creditable 0-0 draws.