Manchester United and England football star Gary Neville yesterday described Malta as his second home, saying the country was "close to the heart".
Mr Neville, who owns a home in Malta, where he also runs his own football school, said he has been coming over for the past 15 years during which time he noticed big changes taking place.
The footballer star was speaking during a press conference announcing a two-year agreement with Air Malta. The deal will continue to see Mr Neville as a front-man for promotional campaigns, testimonials, image campaigns and interviews in the UK, particularly in the Manchester region.
In return, Air Malta will continue to be the major sponsors of the Gary Neville Soccer School, which was set up in 2001 to offer young English and Maltese football enthusiasts the chance to benefit from the footballer's tutorship in Malta every summer.
Mr Neville has been an official tourism ambassador for Malta since 2001.
"It is an honour to be connected so closely with Malta. Malta is very close to the heart. Malta has wonderful hotels and restaurants. I have seen drastic differences in 15 years during which the island has attracted different types of visitors. The service here is improving and I believe there are great things ahead for Malta," he said.
One of the best things about Malta is its people, Mr Neville said.
Brian Bartolo, Air Malta's general manager marketing and product, said the airline was delighted to have such an enthusiastic and committed ambassador for Malta.
"Gary's contribution to promoting Malta as a tourist destination has been invaluable over the last years and we are looking forward to building upon this relationship over the next two years. This partnership has firmly established Manchester as one of our key source markets and subsequently contributed strongly to the overall increase in visitor arrivals from the UK. The extension of the contract with Gary Neville forms part of the marketing strategy of Air Malta for the Manchester area," he explained.
Mr Neville is a product of Manchester United's prolific youth team. Aged 17, he made his debut with Man U as a substitute in the UEFA cup tie against Torpedo Moscow. He made his debut as an England international against Japan in the 1995 Umbro Cup.
Lately, Mr Neville was plagued with injuries and has not played for 16 months. When asked, he said he had started training regularly again with his team mates at Manchester United, a great team that "deserved to win the Premier League and the Champions League".
Asked about the Euro 2008, for which the England national team failed to qualify, Mr Neville said Holland, Russia and Turkey, three of the semi-finalists, had impressed him.
He said he was disappointed that England did not qualify, adding that England had to improve its performance so as to be competitive.
Asked whether he would lobby to bring Manchester United to Malta, Mr Neville said that as a player he could not lobby, adding that it would be "fitting" and "fantastic" for the team to come to Malta to play to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Manchester United Supporters' Club in Malta.