Giglio looks beyond Malta

By Domenic Aquilina

Voted Player of the Year in Malta for his contribution to Sliema Wanderers FC's double-winning campaign, midfield player Stefan Giglio has had little time to rest on his laurels. Barely two months after they won the league title, Sliema are back in action in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round.

'Sky-high'
And with Lithuanian champions FBK Kaunas preparing to take on Malta's finest at the National stadium in Ta'Qali on Tuesday, Giglio is itching for action. "We start the new season with morale still sky-high," he told uefa.com. "Last season we kept on winning and winning, and we hope to carry that into this new season."

Back home
For the 25-year-old Maltese international, 2003/04 marked a return home following a spell in Bulgaria where he spent time playing for PFC CSKA Sofia and PFC Lokomotiv Sofia. Certainly the experience made a major impact on the player.

Bulgarian experience
"It was an experience never to forget," he said. "In Bulgarian football, I discovered what real professionalism is all about. I trained hard, and have become much more experienced in my style of game. I still remember my two goals for CSKA in the UEFA Cup against [FC] Shakhtyor Soligorsk of Belarus."

Cruciate injury
However, as he told uefa.com, his spell in Bulgaria was not without its less happy moments either. "My biggest disappointment remains my cruciate injury which left me out of the game and out of the CSKA side for seven months," explained Giglio.

Passion rekindled
Nonetheless, since returning to the island, Giglio's passion for football has been rekindled. In his own words, he was "overjoyed" with last season, saying: "I never imagined that in my first season back in Maltese football I would have helped Sliema retain the league and win the FA Trophy."

Maltese honour
Being named as the island's Player of the Year was something that Giglio "could only have dreamed of" and now, with a little luck, the midfield player is hoping that his current good form at Sliema might be the springboard to earn him another chance to impress somewhere else in Europe.

Foreign travel
"I am still 25 years old and my dream remains donning the jersey of another foreign club in the near future," he said. "I feel that I am at the very peak of my career at the moment. If the opportunity arises I will grab it with both hands."

National team
However, whether he moves abroad again or not, Giglio will still be heading home regularly to play for the Maltese national team. Drawn against Bulgaria, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary and Iceland in their qualifying group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, it will certainly take something special for Malta to take even a point.

Hope not expectation
"We have been drawn in a very uncomfortable group," admitted Giglio. "There are three EURO 2004™ finalists plus Hungary and Iceland should provide very tough opposition. We are preparing hard for the campaign. I hope the results will go our way for a change."

Sliema confidence
He is also hoping that the result will go Sliema's way against Kaunas on Tuesday night. "I truly believe that with a strong squad like Sliema, qualifying for the next round is our main priority," he said. "It would be the perfect gift to our supporters after such a successful season."

Form team
Up against a player and a team that have hit such a magnificent vein of domestic form, Kaunas may do well to leave the island with their dignity intact.