Most of the honours at the third Malta Football Awards last night were claimed by champions Sliema Wanderers FC as their international midfielder Stefan Giglio completed a memorable year after winning the Best Maltese Player award to compliment his MFA Footballer of the Year prize.
Giglio, 25, was also named the top player in the category for midfielders as Jeffrey Chetcuti, best defender, Danilo Doncic, best forward, and Edward Aquilina, best coach, completed a memorable night for the Wanderers at the Westin Dragonara Hotel.
Giglio beat the challenge of two Sliema team-mates, Joe Brincat and striker Michael Mifsud, who has now joined Norwegian side Lillestrom, for the Best Maltese Player honour. In the midfielders section, the other contenders were Brincat and Andre Rocha Da Silva, of Floriana.
Da Silva, a Brazilian, still had something to celebrate though after being presented with the honour of Best Foreigner in the Premier League 2003/04. Here, the honour was also contested by Doncic, of Serbia, and Nigerian striker Haruna Doda, of Birkirkara.
Chetcuti was the top defender. He got the award from the two other finalists, Brian Said, also of Sliema, and Riad-Mynel Gango Rtsa, of Floriana.
Doncic topped the forwards' category after collecting more votes than team-mate Mifsud and Marsaxlokk's Daniel Bogdanovic.
Aquilina retained the honour of best coach for a second consecutive year. Ray Farrugia, the former Pietà coach, and Birkirkara's Stephen Azzopardi, were also nominated among the finalists for the award.
Pietà's Saviour Darmanin was the best goalkeeper, while Andre Schembri claimed the Most Promising Youngster award. Dorianne Theuma, of champions Hibernians, was best female player last season.
Ivan Woods' goal, in Pietà's 4-1 win against Floriana, was voted the best one of the season.
During the variety show, Nicky Saliba and Salvinu Schembri received a special honour for their achievements during their distinguished careers.
Saliba, a former Valletta FC stalwart, is probably the most successful player to have graced our football pitches, having won several honours with the club. He played 70 times for the national team and was also the MFA Footballer of the Year in 1992 and 1999.
Schembri made a name for himself in the 50s when he donned the colours of Sliema and Valletta. He was the national team's captain when Malta played their first official competitive match at the old Gzira Stadium, a friendly against Austria which the latter won 3-2.
Felice Pulici, the Lazio official, was again present for the presentations' night. This time, he arrived with the Coppa Italia won by Lazio last season after they beat Juventus in the final 4-2 on aggregate.
The winners
Best keeper: Saviour Darmanin.
Best defender: Jeffrey Chetcuti.
Best midfielder: Stefan Giglio.
Best forward: Danilo Doncic.
Most promising youngster: Andre Schembri.
Best coach: Edward Aquilina.
Best foreigner: Andre Da Silva.
Best Maltese player: Stefan Giglio.
Best goal of the Season: Ivan Woods (Pietà vs Floriana 4-1 - March 27).
Best female player: Dorianne Theuma.