Jonathan Valletta needs no introduction in local sports circles.

Waterpolo has been his love for three decades, ever since he was seven when he joined his first club Barracudas. That was to be the beginning of a long and fruitful waterpolo career which saw him reach the highest pinnacle of the local game.

At the end of the 2009 season he decided to call it a day, but not before turning out for his country in what turned out to be a very creditable venture for Malta when they finished sixth in the recent European 'B' Championships in Lugano and qualified for the 'A' preliminaries next year.

Valletta's trek saw him join Sirens at the age of 14, where he immediately gained a place in the senior team before finally moving to Sliema in 2007.

During this long span he spent 20 years as a member of the national team where he started at age 15 in the 1988 Comen Cup in Glyfada, Greece. He made it with the first seven the following year in the same competition in Cairo, Egypt, to become the youngest player ever to represent his country.

He won a silver and two bronze medals in the Comen Cup and finished as top scorer in the Kranje edition in Slovenia, while he was also a member of the Malta team which clinched bronze in the 'B' European Championships in Sweden seven years ago.

In local competitions the list of successes is even more impressive.

Four league titles, two each with Sirens and Sliema, nine knock-outs, six of which with Sirens and the others with Sliema, besides three Winter League titles and other minor honours complemented Valletta's individual array of four Player of the Year awards and runner-up in the Sporstmen of the Year contest in 2000.

At the age of 19 he also had a stint with the Italian Serie A2 team Rari Nantes Camogli. Needless to say, his quality as a prolific goal-getter helped him gain the honour of the season's top scorer on no fewer than five occasions.

No doubt, this player has left an indelible mark in local waterpolo statistics and one which will be hard for others to emulate. Maltese waterpolo will be the poorer without Jonathan Valletta.

The following is an interview he gave to The Sunday Times recently.

How did you start playing?
My brother used to play in goal for Barracudas and I used to enjoy watching him and occasionally be the ball boy.

What gave you most satisfaction in your career?
The bronze medal in the Euro 'B' Championships. Winning the player of the year four times. Winning almost everything with Sliema in the last three years of my career, including the Player of the Year award when I was 36 years old.

This was very satisfying as my previous club felt that my best days were over.

Were there any low points?
Yes, an injury, which required surgery in my left hand that left me out of the scene for seven weeks during peak season in 2007.

How do you regard and rank waterpolo as a sport?
Waterpolo is a tough game and unless you are committed you should never start this discipline as it requires long hours of serious training in the gym and pool.

However, if there is commitment, it's the best sport to practise.

It makes you feel healthy and sculptures your body and, most important of all, you become very disciplined, thus mitigating risks associated with the modern lifestyle such as drugs and excessive alcohol.

With the crop of youngsters we have do you think Malta can maintain its present ranking in Europe?
My humble opinion is that there is good talent but not in sufficient numbers. Sports funding plays a very important role if we want Malta to keep or improve its present ranking in Europe.

Unless a proper preparation for the Euro 'B' Championships is undertaken, I am afraid it would be very difficult to maintain the current standard.

Our national side didn't even have a kit before these Euro B's, and if the players and coach had not insisted we wouldn't have been provided with one. For this I thank Dr Austin Sammut who has managed to find a sponsor in two days.

Thanks go to the sponsors, too.

Do you intend taking up coaching?
Not yet. I want to dedicate more time to my family for the time being.

As I said, the secret to success in this sport is commitment.

What advice would you give to youngsters taking up a career in the game?

My motto for waterpolo is 'no pain no gain'. So train as hard as you can and always try to achieve higher targets as you can never say that you have won everything.

Be positive and always have a winning mentality - it makes all the difference.

A final comment...
I would like to thank my wife Erika for all her support and sacrifice throughout my career and Martina and Julian, my children.

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank the Sliema committee, players and last but not least the supporters who have always shown a great deal of trust and admiration for my qualities and talent.