The Malta Football Association held a press conference on Monday, 19 May at the Centenary Hall in Ta’ Qali to announce the nominees for the upcoming 2025 Malta FA Awards. The event was addressed by Malta FA Vice President Adrian Casha, who outlined the significance of this year’s edition.
“This year is special,” Mr Casha said, “because aside from the usual awards, we will also be honouring the Best XI of All Time to mark the Association’s 125th anniversary. This will be the highlight of Friday’s ceremony.”
The selection of the Malta Best XI of All Time involved a wide voting panel, including fans, administrators, coaches, match officials, journalists, researchers, writers, and presenters of sports programmes. Members of the public were also invited to vote for their favourite players in each position, with over 800 votes submitted during the process.
Mr Casha also confirmed that this year’s Footballer of the Year award will be the 70th edition of the accolade. He clarified that goals scored in play-off matches were not taken into account for the Top Scorer awards.
The Malta FA Awards Night will be held on Friday 23 May 2025 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Malta, where the winners across several categories will be unveiled.
MFA Awards 2025 Nominees
Footballer of the Year
- Henry Bonello (Hamrun Spartans)
- Bjorn Kristensen (Hibernians)
- Alexander Satariano (Birkirkara)
- Dunstan Vella (Floriana)
- Carlo Zammit Lonardelli (Floriana)
Female Player of the Year
- Haley Bugeja (Inter Milan)
- Maria Farrugia (Sheffield United)
- Nicole Sciberras (Hibernians)
- Emma Xuereb (Swieqi United)
- Shona Zammit (Swieqi United)
Coach of the Year
- Darren Abdilla (Floriana)
- Stefano De Angelis (Birkirkara)
- Paul Zammit (Sliema Wanderers)
Young Player of the Year
- Nathan Agius (Mosta)
- Jake Micallef (Zabbar St Patrick)
- Sven Xerri (Hamrun Spartans)
Foreign Player of the Year
- Maxuell Maia da Silva (Birkirkara)
- Franklin Sasere (Floriana)
- Alex de Aguiar Gomes (Marsaxlokk)
Challenge League Best Player
- Jake Azzopardi (Valletta)
- Sulahmana Mamadu Bah (Zurrieq)
- Brandon Paiber (Valletta)
Amateur League 1 Best Player
- Julian Azzopardi (Birzebbuga St Peter’s Montekristo)
- Brandon Bray (Qrendi)
- Ricardo Velasquez (San Gwann)
Amateur League 2 Best Player
- Ferdinando Apap (Victoria Hotspurs)
- Matthew Gauci (St George’s)
- Timothy Thomas (Kalkara United)
Best Youth League Player
- Zak Barbara (Valletta)
- Jayden Farrugia (Mosta)
- Silas Alfred Hamanjode (Hibernians)
Female Youth League Best Player
- Lara May Azzopardi (Birkirkara)
- Maia Gauci (Birkirkara)
- Eva Koneva (Swieqi United)
Malta Best XI of All Time – Final Nominees
Goalkeeper
- John Bonello
- David Cluett
- Alfred Mizzi
Right-back
- David Carabott
- Alex Muscat
- John Privitera
Left-back
- Jeffrey Chetcuti
- Lolly Debattista
- Edwin Farrugia
Centre-back
- Andrei Agius
- Joe Cilia
- John Holland
Sweeper
- John Buttigieg
- Anton Camilleri
- Kris Laferla
Defensive Midfielder
- Joe Brincat
- Stefan Giglio
- Gareth Sciberras
Central Midfielder
- Louis Arpa
- Willie Vassallo
- Raymond Vella
Right Winger
- Gilbert Agius
- Ronnie Cocks
- Noel Turner
Left Winger
- Michael Degiorgio
- Sammy Nicholl
- Carlo Seychell
Forwards
- Carmel Busuttil
- Joe Cini
- Michael Mifsud
- Tony Nicholl
- Andre Schembri
- Raymond Xuereb
Top Scorers for 2025
360 Sports Malta Premier
- Maxuell Maia da Silva (Birkirkara) – 22 goals
BOV Challenge League
- Sulahmana Mamadu Bah (Zurrieq) – 20 goals
National Amateur League 1
- Joshua Ojelabi (Marsaskala) – 20 goals
National Amateur League 2
- Timothy Thomas (Kalkara United) – 17 goals
Assikura Women’s League
- Hailey Russell (San Gwann) – 27 goals
As the Malta FA prepares for a special edition of its annual awards, the spotlight will not only fall on this season’s standout performers but also on the legends who have helped shape the sport’s 125-year history on the island.
