Emmanuel Borg, better known as Lolly Borg (23 October 1931 – 10 October 2020) was a Maltese football player and manager. He was the cousin of Lolly Debattista, another famous Maltese player, and he is currently regarded as one of the most representative players of

Maltese football Football in Malta is run by the Malta Football Association and was introduced to Malta during British rule in the mid-19th century. The sport at the time was new to England, and was used as a means of entertainment for the soldiers stationed in M ...

, as a one-club man he spent his whole career playing as a forward for

Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana ...

Career

Player

Club

Borg made his debut on 1947, when he was just 16, coming from Floriana Ajax, a youth team that was annexed by

. He spent his whole career as a player in the club, leading the team to 7

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

titles and 8 Maltese FA Trophies from 1947 to 1963. He also received the

Maltese Player of the Year The Maltese Player of the Year Award is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in Maltese football. The award has been presented since the 1954–55 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst th ...

award in 1962, and was top-scorer of the Maltese League twice (

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

and 1955).

International

Borg played eight times for the

Maltese national football team The Malta national football team ( mt, Tim nazzjonali tal-futbol ta' Malta) represents Malta in international Association football, football and is controlled by the Malta Football Association, the governing body for football in Malta. The fir ...

, including the first ever match against

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

played on 24 February 1957, that was also his first international match. His first and only goal, with the national team was scored in a friendly against

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

on December 8, 1960.

Manager

After his retirement in 1967, Borg was hired as Floriana coach in 1968 and led the team to the victory of two Premier League titles ( 1969–70 and 1972–73) and one FA Trophy ( 1971–72) before stepping down in 1973. He later had short spells with

Rabat Ajax Rabat Ajax Football Club is a Maltese football club based in Rabat. The last promotion to the Maltese Premier League was achieved in the 2011–12 season, when they earned promotion after finishing second behind Melita. In the 2020-21 National ...

, Senglea Athletic and San Ġwann.

Career statistics

International

Honours

Player

;Floriana *

Maltese Premier League The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons with Bank of Valletta ( colloquially known as ''Il-Kampjonat Premjer''), is the highest level of professional football in Malta. Managed by the Malta Football Associa ...

: 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1957–58, 1961–62 *

Maltese FA Trophy The FA Trophy, currently known as the IZIBET FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football cup competition that takes place in Malta. The cup was founded in 1933; following a match between England and Italy, played in Rome in May 1933, ...

: 1948–49, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960-61 ;Individual *

: 1961–62 *

top-scorer: 1951-52, 1954-55

Manager

;Floriana *

: 1969–70, 1972–73 *

: 1971–72

References

1931 births 2020 deaths Malta international footballers Floriana F.C. players Floriana F.C. managers Maltese footballers Maltese football managers Association football forwards {{Malta-footy-bio-stub