Footballer

The legendary Carmelo Cauchi was undoubtedly one of the greatest Maltese footballers of all time. ‘Kaneni’, as his fans affectionately knew him, possessed all the skills, grace, and courage, which in his best days earned him the nickname of ‘Malta’s Alex James’.

Carmelo was the son of Loreto and Loreta née Mallia and he was born in Għajnsielem, Gozo.

His career went back to the early 20s when, at the age of 15, he played as outside left for Floriana Liberty. Apart from a couple of seasons with Sliema Wanderers, Cauchi served Floriana faithfully until he retired from the game at the end of season 1937-38.

An automatic choice for the MFA XI, Cauchi won 8 championships and 4 cup final and 2 Cassar Cup final medals. His best moment came in season 1924-25 when, during a representative game between the MFA and the Army, Lord Peel was so impressed by the 19-year old genius that he offered to take him to England to join a London League club. Two seasons later Tottenham Hotspur toured Malta and were so impressed by the skills of this diminutive tricky schemer that they offered him a contract. Both times Cauchi refused, a decision which he came to regret.

Cauchi played 23 times for the MFA XI, seven of these games against foreign teams touring the island. His fantastic record of 54 goals in 75 competitive matches rivals that of the great Tony Nicholl. He finished three times as the league top-scorer.

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