{"id":52229,"date":"2025-10-11T17:12:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T16:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=52229"},"modified":"2025-10-11T17:13:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T16:13:05","slug":"de-leo-praises-borg-ahead-of-final-international-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/11\/de-leo-praises-borg-ahead-of-final-international-match\/","title":{"rendered":"De Leo praises Borg ahead of final international match"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Malta national team coach Emilio De Leo and veteran defender Steve Borg addressed the media ahead of Sunday\u2019s international friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will mark Borg\u2019s final appearance for the national side.<\/p>\n

De Leo began by welcoming back players who return to the squad following suspension, noting that the team has had limited time to implement major changes. He emphasized the importance of every match, including friendlies, as opportunities to assess progress and development.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have much time to change a lot of things,\u201d De Leo said. \u201cFor this team, even friendlies are important because they are tests to see where we have arrived and what we have achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked how Malta plans to contain Bosnia\u2019s star striker Edin D\u017eeko, the coach underlined the importance of collective organisation over focusing on individual opponents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have now got used to playing against players of this level. It\u2019s not just about one individual \u2014 it\u2019s the organisation of the whole team that counts,\u201d De Leo explained. \u201cWe\u2019ve shown this in our first games. Of course, we know D\u017eeko\u2019s talent, and we will pay attention, cover the ball, but our strategy remains to stay an organised team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s match will be a special occasion for Steve Borg, who will hang up his international boots after a remarkable 81 appearances for Malta at the age of 37. Reflecting on his career, Borg said that every match has been an honour and that he will cherish the memories of representing his country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere aren\u2019t any games I\u2019d want to forget \u2014 it\u2019s always an honour to wear the national shirt,\u201d Borg said. \u201cPlaying in big, packed stadiums is always a great experience, but I\u2019ll always treasure the win against Latvia, when I scored the winning goal in the 95th minute to give Malta three points.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether he sees any young player capable of following in his footsteps, Borg humbly highlighted the potential of the next generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey all have their strengths \u2014 I don\u2019t feel special. They\u2019re great in their own way,\u201d he said. \u201cPlaying for the national team is a dream, and I\u2019ll always try to help the young ones achieve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach De Leo paid tribute to Borg\u2019s professionalism and character, describing him as a role model on and off the pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I arrived, I found a professional player and a special person who was always available,\u201d De Leo said. \u201cI always stress that values are actions \u2014 and he embodied that. He showed determination, humility, and resilience, not just with words but through his behaviour and example. He has paved the way for others and remains an inspiration to the younger players.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Malta vs Bosnia and Herzegovina international friendly match will take place on Sunday, 12th October, at the National Stadium in Ta\u2019 Qali. Kick-off is scheduled for 7pm.<\/p>\n

Source: MFA<\/p>\n

Photo: MFA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Malta national team coach Emilio De Leo and veteran defender Steve Borg addressed the media ahead of Sunday\u2019s international friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will mark Borg\u2019s final appearance for the national side. De Leo began by welcoming back players who return to the squad following suspension, noting that the team has had limited […]<\/p>\n

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De Leo began by welcoming back players who return to the squad following suspension, noting that the team has had limited…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52229"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52232,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52229\/revisions\/52232"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}