Maltese international footballer Bjorn Kristensen chats with Laura Bonnici about how he stays in touch with family and friends – and with the latest sports news and events – while he travels around the world playing the beautiful game.

Football is, quite simply, a way of life for Bjorn Kristensen. Born in Marsaxlokk in 1993 to a Maltese mother and Danish father, Kristensen was encouraged to pursue football from an early age.

“My father was also a football player and played for Żabbar St Patrick, Lija Athletic and Senglea Athletic football clubs in Malta,” he explains. “So it was only natural that, when I turned four-, he enrolled me in the Hibernians football nursery.”

Working his way up the ranks, at the age of 14, Kristensen travelled to Denmark to play youth football with the Hessel Gods football school and Silkeborg IF, before returning to Malta in 2010 and playing for Hibernians. The midfielder went on to make his senior international debut for Malta in February 2012, and in the same month trialled for English club Everton FC.

In 2017, Kristensen’s contribution to Hibernians’ BOV Premier League title triumph awarded him one of the most prestigious titles in Maltese football, the MFA Footballer of the Year.

“Winning that meant so much to me,” he recalls with a smile. “It was a recognition of 20 years of hard work and dedication, although it was also about honouring the team. It is only through teamwork that individual players can succeed. I hope one day I will win it again.”

This ambition is entirely possible, as well as Kristensen’s dream of one day playing for an international team. The Hibs midfielder has a busy daily training schedule, which he juggles with family life and a part-time job as a real estate agent.

“A normal day for me involves taking my young son to school, then going to the gym and to work,” he shares. “After lunch, I rest for a while, before collecting my son from school and heading to training for about three hours at the Hibernians stadium. After that, I eat and catch up on the latest games on television, before retiring to bed.”

Keeping up-to-speed with the world of sports on television and online is an essential tool for Kristensen’s football career.

“I love watching good, clean football, so I try to watch Barcelona whenever they play, as well as Champions League games via the Melita TSN Sports channels that are added to my bundle with Melita.”

Offering eight brand new premium HD TV channels in the Total Sports Network (TSN), Melita Sports gives viewers high-quality, high-definition access to top international sports from football to rugby and tennis, with the best competitions, competitors, teams, events and leagues available.

Melita Sports can be added to any Melita Flexi Bundle for just €10 a month, with no ties and no subscription terms – so viewers can stop their subscription anytime they like.

Apart from access to international football matches, for Bjorn it is perhaps even more important that he can stay connected with family and friends during his regular travels abroad to play as part of the Malta national team.

“I use every available method, from my phone to Facebook to Whatsapp, to stay in touch with my girlfriend, three-year-old son, and family when I’m travelling. I don’t want to miss out on seeing them every day while I pursue my football career.

"So, for me, roaming with a Wi-Fi or 4G connection I can rely on no matter where I am in the world is absolutely essential. That is something I’m happy to have found with Melita.”

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