Footballer

Born in Sliema, Nicholl’s career spanned a record of 25 years. During his career, Nicholl was the idol of the Sliema Wanderers’ supporters. He was also the greatest exponent of Maltese football and an example to every youngster who wished to make the grade.

At the age of 9, he was already playing football for the Sliema primary school team as a goalkeeper. When he joined Sliema Rovers, he was tried in the centre-forward position and was an instant success. On 27 March 1932 he made his bow for Sliema Wanderers at the Empire Sports Ground in a friendly match against HMS Royal Oak. Later on in the season, he made his competitive debut for the Wanderers in the cup final against Valletta United.

Between 1932 and 1939, together with Salvu Sammut L-Għarawri, and Joseph Sammut Il-Brownie, he formed part of the great ‘Musketeers’ trio who won 6 championships, 4 Cassar Cups, and 4 FA trophies. Tony’s goal-scoring exploits made him a legend in his life time.

On 23 October 1934 he equalled Joe Tabona’s 13-year old record when he notched in 7 goals in the league against Hamrun Spartans. Throughout his career he scored 5,4, or 3 goals in a match with regular monotony.

Nicholl still holds all the local-scoring records. He was league top-scorer 8 times; his best season being 1945-46 when he scored 22 goals. His career record of 172 goals from 200 league matches would probably give him a place in a World Top-Thirty if such a list is ever compiled. His fantastic record of 57 cup goals from 54 matches would surely give him a place in the Top Ten list.

For a quarter-of-a-century Nicholl was an automatic choice for the national team. Between 1933 and 1956 he played a record 48 times for the MFA XI, scoring 34 goals. His only disappointment was that he never played in a full international match. In 1957 he was a reserve in Malta’s first international match against Austria. Late in the second period, he was offered a chance of going in as a substitute but he sportingly refused to give the younger players in the squad a chance of playing for their country.

Everyone respected Nicholl. In 1946 friend and foe alike were stunned when they heard the news that someone had shot him in the leg. ‘Get well’ messages arrived from all corners of the island. Tony recuperated and he was soon back in the game hitting in the goals as frequently as ever.

Throughout his career, Nicholl won many honours. In 1955-1956 he was voted Footballer of the Year but he received his biggest honours when he quit playing. On 2 February 1957, the minister of education inaugurated the Nicholl Ground on Manoel Island in his honour. In 1994 he was officially honoured with the Gieħ ir-Repubblika award for his services to his country.  It was a fitting end to the career of the greatest footballer in the history of Maltese football.

In June 2005 The Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) recognised Tony Nicholl as a   Member of the MOC Hall of Fame for his contribution to Maltese Sport at the highest   national/international level for a long period of time.

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