Steve Camilleri, the Malta and Neptunes stalwart player, will again turn out for Neptunes for at least the next four years.

His new contract with the Balluta Reds, the club which launched him on the big waterpolo stage as a budding 15-year old, was signed on Wednesday and has confirmed that his heart is still ticking for Neptunes.

This agreement, which is bound to have lasting ripples in the local game, has thus ended speculation about his future in Malta.

A much sought-after performer, Camilleri has won a total of 24 honours with Neptunes and, for many years, has represented Malta with distinction, including the most prestigious one when topping the scorers’ charts in the Euro Finals in Belgrade last January with 21 goals.

As to his overseas engagements, he will again play for the Serie A1 Sicilian club CC Ortigia in the coming season.

His outstanding career with foreign teams will now be extended into his ninth year.

During these years, he very often etched his name as his team’s top scorer, something he has invariably done in Malta since 2008 when finishing at the summit of the overall league scorers.

Among his other individual honours, the Neptunes player also won the player of the year award for a record-equalling five times apart from being awarded the 2015 sportsman of the year.

No doubt, Camilleri is now a prized asset not only as a marksman par excellence but also as an all-rounder.

The way the 29-year-old helped Neptunes win this year’s league title, while again heading the Premier Division scorers’ rankings with 45 goals, has been truly astonishing when one takes into account the adversity of a threadbare squad the Reds had to contend with this year.

After this summer’s success with the new Malta champions, Camilleri has now left for Sicily.

His re-engagement with the Sicilian side CC Ortigia for the forthcoming league campaign in Italy was to be expected, considering the high esteem the Maltese player enjoys in the nearby peninsula.

“I am glad I will again be playing for Ortigia in the coming season,” Camilleri said.

“The team has been strengthened with the inclusion of three Italian players, one of whom is Massimo Giacoppo who will bring a lot of experience and a winning mentality to the team. We will also have a new coach, the Greek Yiannis Giannouris.

“The Italian top league has always been among the most competitive in the world.

“However, I believe this year the standard of play has improved considerably with the inclusion of more top-quality foreigners.”

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