Biography: Ġużi Alamango

Football Player

Ġużi Alamango was born in Floriana, the son of Kamenu and Filippa née Debono. He was the fourth out of seven children, and from a great footballing family which included such great Floriana stalwarts as Ġużè, Żarenu, and Salvu.

He attended the Floriana primary school, like many other Floriana players, including his paternal uncle Ġużeppi, a Floriana player of the twenties.

He preferred playing football at the time outside school hours instead of homework. He joined the English Army and was stationed within the dispensary at Lintorn Barracks, today Beltissebħ or else near the Health Centre close to the Capuchin church at Floriana. Eventually he became a messenger at the Malta Post Office in Merchants Street, Valletta. In 1962 Ġużi Alamango was the despatch rider of Prime Minister Ġorġ Borg Olivier. His job was to drive in uniform a motor cyle to despatch personal messages by hand. He continued his service with Cable and Wireless, the only telephone and telegraph company, stationed at Marsa, and after at the heart of Paceville, St Julians. He ended his civil service career as Chief Messenger and afterwards he was a driver with a self-drive car company.

Ġużi Alamango was one of the best goalkeepers not only of Floriana but of his generation.

          Originally, he began his career in the position of half back with Floriana Ajax B or Little Ajax team in the middle of the 1940s and also figured for St Patrick’s of Zabbar F.C. He was once playing at the parade ground when he was forced to enter between the goal posts and showed to the spectators where his talents laid. He was noticed by George Shaw, then Floriana F.C. coach, and believed that Alamango could be useful for his time. Ġużi Alamango had a spell with the Britannia team but he was soon an integral part of Floriana F.C. who forked out the some of £10 (23 Euros) for his transfer from St Patrick’s F.C.       

Ġużi Alamango made his First Division debut on 12 December 1949 in the 2-0 victory over Valletta. He improved considerably under George Shaw and Joe Griffiths. He would be the first to go out with his team in the ground and would shoot the ball high up. He was always a fighter and would intervene when a teammater quarrelled with an adversary. Ġużi Alamango, who always wore a black jersey, formed a regular part of the great Floriana F.C. side that won four consecutive league championships, two FA trophies and three Cassar Cups (1949-1953). In point of fact, he won the Triple Crown three times (1949-1950, 1952-1953 and 1957-1958). He was with time also chosen as the no.1 in Pick Malta which represented the country in international matches before the formation of the Malta National Team.

Ġużi Alamango played only 48 games for Floriana between 1949 and 1957, most of them were punctuated by suspensions.

Needless to say, his best match was in a tournament in Great Britain against West Bromwich (0-2) on 14 May 1951. He also stole the scene in matches against Chelsea and Doncaster Rovers. He refused to continue playing with the English team.  He was also in the first team that took part in the European cups against Ujpest Dosza of Hungary in 1961.

In 1957 he left Floriana and joined Marsa FC. In 1958-59 Alamango spent the next  two seasons in the First Division because the Reds were promoted. In 1960 however, he received a hefty suspension which kept him out of the game for most of the season and when he returned to league football on 5 June 1960, for the last game of the season he received another suspension.

He continued with his career up to the early sixties when he played with the team of Floriana Veterans. He was forced to submit himself to two surgical operations to change his side bones as a result of the impact of many jumps on cement football pitches. He decided to call it a day in the summer of 1961.

During his successful but stormy career Ġużi Alamango won five League Championship, five FA Trophy, and two Cassar Cup medals. He represented Malta against visiting foreign teams on seven occasions.

          Alamango was rather nervous, outspoken, and stormy. He accepted jokes to a limit. He also assisted families of refugees to whom he took food and toys. He was a Carnival enthusiast by wearing costumes and frequenting balls. He once entered Valletta on a horse to celebrate the "Reign of Folly". His enjoyment was to play cards, patronise the talkie and dance at the Phoenicia (Floriana), the Chalet (Sliema), and the Queen’s Hall. He supported England but admired Brazil and Germany. He loved Glenn Miller’s or Nat King Cole’s sentimental Music. He passed time near the Boċċi Club at Xagħra at the end of his life.

Ġużi Alamango adored his patron saint St Publius. He used to help in the parish church of Floriana and was a regular bearer of the titular statue even in his old age. He also lent a helping hand in the filial church of Sarria at Floriana.

Ġużi Alamango married Carmen née Borg Bonaci in 1953.

This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.