Ahead of the start of the Fifa 2018 World Cup in Russia, Times of Malta met with former Malta goalkeeper Freddie Mizzi who shared his thoughts on what is arguably the most awaited sports event.

From his memories of the 1966 World Cup in England which he saw as a spectator, to the famous 1982 Italian team which triumphed against all odds, he recounts his most vivid memories of past competitions.

As for the forthcoming event, he picks out the usual suspects of Germany, France, Spain and Brazil as the favourites, with Argentina also in the running.

However, this world cup will be a first for him as his beloved Italy will not be present.

At the same time he believes players are no longer as committed as before to play for the national team. Is this the result of the much more lucrative prizes on offer at club level? Probably…

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.