Jordi Cruyff is without a trace of doubt one of the most famous players ever to figure in the Maltese league.

It's not common for a Maltese club to sign a player whose CV features spells with such great sides as Barcelona and Manchester United but the financial muscle and ambition of Valletta FC president Victor Sciriha, allied to the team's quest for success and the appointment of fellow Dutchman Ton Caanen as coach, enticed Cruyff to City last summer.

Yet, despite Cruyff's impressive pedigree, his switch to Valletta was met with some scepticism in light of his ripe age and the injuries that dogged his career in the past few years.

Cruyff is clearly not the fast, elusive winger he was in his heyday but age and injuries have not diminished his technical ability and vision of the game.

After helping Valletta reach the second qualifying round of the Europa League in the summer, Cruyff played a prominent role in the team's strong start to the season but a minor knee injury forced him to miss some matches in the January-February period.

Since his comeback, Cruyff has not only reclaimed a regular place in Valletta's starting XI but hit a rich scoring vein, netting five times in back-to-back victories over Dingli Swallows and Tarxien Rainbows to take his tally to nine goals.

In Saturday's 6-2 success over Tarxien, Cruyff gave Valletta an early lead with a header and then struck twice from the penalty spot to complete a rare hat-trick and propel his team to their first victory over the Rainbows this season.

"The truth is that we have finally managed to get a win over Tarxien," Cruyff told The Times.

"Tarxien have been the team that made it most difficult for us this season. We had two draws against them in the previous matches but we have beaten them in the third game. This victory is a source of motivation for the team. It was also important to win last weekend to prove our ambition."

Cruyff is happy with his scoring spree but was quick to pay tribute to his team-mates.

"In a way, I'm a bit surprised with my scoring record because in the past few years, I have played mainly as a sweeper or as a defensive midfielder," Cruyff said.

"At Valletta, the midfielders swap positions during the game. The way football is played here and our approach means that I can advance and get into scoring positions.

"The most important thing is that the team is winning, the rest is secondary. Lately I've had more opportunities to score, even though two of my goals against Tarxien came from penalties."

Valletta's win over Tarxien got their Championship Pool trek off to a flying start and, more significantly, kept their title bid on track. The Citizens are sharing top spot with Birkirkara on 23 points after the totals of the teams were halved after the first two rounds.

Cruyff's satisfaction at Valletta's march so far has been slightly tempered by the 'strange' format of the Premier League.

"The important games are coming up," Cruyff said.

"I guess this is the only country where the champions are not necessarily the team that takes most points over the course of a season. It's very strange.

"You don't have an advantage if you're first at the end of the first two rounds. It feels like you've had six mon-ths of work and you get scant reward for it. But, that's the way things are here and I knew about them."

Cruyff may have been taken aback by the peculiarities of Maltese football but he has no regrets about his move to Valletta.

"To be honest, I had no idea what to expect," Cruyff said.

"I'm very pleased with how I've been received by the players, the committee and the fans. Malta has been a pleasant experience but football-wise, there are many things here that are so different to what I experienced before in my career.

"The national team's set-up is completely different and the Bosman ruling is not applied here."

At his unveiling as a Valletta player back in June, Cruyff said: "This is going to be a very important year for me. I'm coming here to play and to discover what I really want to do in the future."

The past nine months have reinforced Cruyff's desire to stay in football even after his playing days are over.

"I enjoy the dressing room," Cruyff, who turned 36 last month, said.

"When you reach a certain age, your body doesn't respond the same way it did in the past but with experience, you can still do a lot of things.

"In my head, things are clearing up. I want to go into coaching and I've decided to sign up for the Pro Licence next year. It's possible to combine my coaching studies with my football career but this is not the right moment to speak about the future."

The main priority for Cruyff at present is to maintain his fitness and form to help Valletta achieve their goal of winning the title. Valletta are the top favourites but Cruyff urged caution.

"Let's not forget Birkirkara," Cruyff said.

"They're in the title race and they're going to give everything to stay there.

"The first two to three games in the Championship Pool are very important. Well, every match at this stage is a six-pointer. It's still early to say who's going to win the league because all the leading teams are still in contention.

"I do think that we have a great chance to win the title. We've got a very good scoring and defensive record and we certainly deserve to be on top. But, the likes of Birkirkara and Qormi have done well to stay close.

"We're on a roll. We have gained seven wins from the last eight matches. Our form is good but we can't get carried away. Small details can decide the title race. We must stay focused."