Emanuel Buttigieg GFA BOV Player of the Month – February 2024

Emanuel Buttigieg: Qala Saints FC

The 28-year-old captain of Qala Saints, Emanuel Buttigieg, was chosen as the BOV Gozitan football player of the month for February. The presentation of the BOV Player of the Month trophy was made by Mrs. Charmaine Borg, manager of the Bank of Valletta for the Gozo Region at the Bank’s office in Victoria Gozo.

Photo: Anthony Cassar

Emanuel Buttigieg started his football career with Qala Saints and started playing in the senior team at a young age when the Maroons were playing in the second division. For some time he played with other teams in the Gozitan football leagues but returned to Qala Saints in recent seasons when the team got a promotion to the top division of Gozitan football after many years in these last two seasons has established a place with the front teams in the first division BOV Gozo Football League league table. Qala in this season are determined to improve the second place they got at the end of last season and thus become champions of Gozitan football for the first time in the history of the club. Emanuel Buttigieg is an important midfield player who covers a role in front of the defence and also recovers possessions in contrasts of play in the middle of the pitch. Emanuel Buttigieg also helps in the attack, mostly in actions of free kicks and corners and on some occasions he made good use of the elevation to score important goals with the head.

During February, Qala Saints performed a good reaction, after a somewhat difficult period where it seemed that they were going to lose pace with the favorites to win the Nadur Youngsters championship, and got seven points from three games to stay in the challenge to win the most important honour of Gozitan football. Qala Saints turned a loss into a two-to-one victory in the crucial game against Xewkija Tigers and later got a point from a goalless draw in the game against SK Victoria Wanderers. Qala confirmed their determination to keep their place in the first place in the third game they had in February when they beat Oratory Youths with a score of three to one.

Emanuel Buttigieg chose that the Bank of Valletta’s contribution linked to this honour goes to the Arka Foundation.

Photo: Anthony Cassar