John Bonello (born 10 May 1958) is a Maltese former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...

Club career

Bonello has played his entire career at Hibernians Paola, except for a season at German lower league side

SC Herford SC Herford is a German association football club based in Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was formed out of the merger of several local sides in the late 1960s and early 1970s and then went on to enjoy a short turn in second division ...

International career

Bonello made his debut for

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

in an August 1979

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

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

. He earned a total of 29 caps, scoring no goals. He has represented his country in 7

FIFA World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...

matches. Bonello was the goalkeeper in the infamous December 1983 European Championship qualification defeat by

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, which Malta lost 1–12, ensuring that Spain qualified for Euro 1984 ahead of the Netherlands. His final international was a January 1987 European Championship qualification match against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Personal life

His son

Henry Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

is an international goalkeeper as well.Maltese Goalkeeper Seeking To Avenge His Father And Banish Spanish Ghosts Tonight
- Lovin Malta

References

External links

* 1958 births Living people People from Msida Men's association football goalkeepers Maltese men's footballers Malta men's international footballers Hibernians F.C. players Maltese Premier League players 2. Bundesliga players Maltese expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Maltese expatriate sportspeople in Germany {{Malta-footy-bio-stub