Emmanuel Farrugia was born on October 2, 1957 in Żabbar.
He started his football career with his home-town club, St Patrick’s, but he soon caught the eye of the senior clubs and in 1974 he was transferred to Valletta.
Farrugia made his debut for the Citizens on December 2, 1974, as a substitute for Vincent ‘Maxi’ Magro in a league game against Hibernians.
In his first season in the top flight, Farrugia played in the forward-line but later he was pulled back in midfield and finally to the full-back position.
It was at wing-back that he finally made his mark in the local game. His displays soon made him one of the best defenders in the championship and it was not long before he became a regular for the national team.
Surely, one of the best Maltese players to emerge from the 1970s, Farrugia won all honours that the local game could offer bar the Footballer of the Year award which always eluded him.
Between 1974 and 1984, he won the championship three times with Valletta, a feat which made him one of the Citizens’ most influential players of his era.
During a career that spanned over 11 seasons, he played 119 league games in the famous white Valletta shirt and scored nine goals. He also played 27 games in the FA Trophy and made 21 appearances in other senior competitions.
During this period, he also won the FA Trophy in 1976-77 and 1977-78, the Euro Cup in 1983-84, the Independence Cup in 1979-80 and the Testaferrata Cup in 1979-80
Making his debut for the national team on September 6, 1977, against Tunisia at the Zoulten Stadium, he went on to win 22 full internationals caps for Malta. He also scored a goal against Turkey on October 28, 1979.
By his own admission, the most memorable game he played during his career was that between Malta and Germany which ended in a prestigious 0-0 draw.
This European Championship qualifier was played at the old Gżira Stadium on February 25, 1979.
Mifsud was well established at Valletta but during the summer of 1986, much to the dismay of the City supporters, he was surprisingly transferred to Sliema Wanderers. By now he was nearing the end of his career but he still had a lot to offer.
Farrugia stayed with the Wanderers for the next four seasons during which he played 32 league games for the Blues, helping the Wanderers win the championship in 1988-89 and the Euro Cup in 1987-88.
During the championship-winning season with Sliema, he only played in the first five league games.
He was still a useful player but injuries forced him to retire. He took up coaching, mostly in the important youth sector where he could pass his skills and experience to up-and-coming youngsters.