Interview: Jonathan Azzopardi - Rabat Ajax Goalkeeper

Hello Jonathan! First of all thanks for accepting my interview. You are the first player to be interviewed this season.

Jonathan, you joined Rabat from another club at the age of 16 years. How did you decide to join Rabat and which clubs did you play for before joining the Rabat Nursery?

Yes I joined Rabat at the age of 16 coming from Floriana nursery. I played with them for two consecutive seasons. At that age I was training and playing with two Maltese national team goalkeepers Justin Haber and Rueben Gauci so I decided to join another club. It took me quite a long time nearly a year and a half but finally I decided to join Rabat Depiro after I got to know some friend from Rabat.

Last year, like a lot of your colleagues you received your first honour as a senior footballer after achieving promotion to the Second Division. What were your feelings and memories of this wonderful season were you also had an immense part in the success?

This honour came after a lot of impressive work and sacrifices that each one of us makes every single day to come for training. The coach Joe Gerada was the pivot behind this honour. He made us believe in ourselves. Telling you the truth before the last game of the playoffs against Gzira, I thought that we wouldn’t make it to the 2nd division. But before we went out in the pitch we talked and encouraged each other. After 2 minutes we were already beating Gzira 1-0. We waited for the referee’s final whistle so eagerly because we were wining 4-1. Every one was happy and celebrated with us till late in the morning.

What was the decision behind playing as a goalkeeper and not any other position in the field?

When I was eight years old there was the 1990 World Cup matches I saw two of the best goalkeepers ever Walter Zenga and Peter Shilton and like any other boy of my age I used to go and play football pretending that that I was Zenga or Germany’s goalkeeper Bodo Ilgner.

 

When did you make your first team debut for Rabat? Any memories from this match?

My debut with Rabat Depiro U/16 Section A September 1996 where we played against B’Kara. Unfortunately we lost that game 2-1. During that season we didn’t get so much good results but we held Floriana during our last game 1-1. I think that my best performance in that season. With that draw against Floriana we remained in section A

Can you name a coach that in your opinion has been very influential in your career?

William Zammit and Carmelo Camilleri made a lot of good work with the youngsters and introduced youths with the senior team. Ziya Yildiz was the first coach that introduced me to the senior team and Dragan Zivkovic was the one who played me for the first time in the first division against Mosta in which we lost 3-1. Stoyan Simeonov was the one who gave me some important tips and goalkeepers’ skills as he was the goalkeeper of Rabat when they played in the premier league. Last but not lease the person who brought the promotion to Rabat Joe Gerada. Thanks to him today we are playing in the 2nd division after two bad seasons.

Rabat will now play two important matches, Balzan Youths and a week after the derby against Dingli Swallows. Rabat certainly need points from these encounters. What are your views regarding these two matches?

After two consecutive lost matches against St. Venera and B’zebbuga, it’s time to bring some points home. The next two matches against Balzan Youths tomorrow and the derby with Dingli Swallows next week I’m sure will attire supporters to come and watch us play. They are going to be two difficult matches but with a little concentration and some luck we can easily get 6 points home.

Any comments you’d like to add?

First of all thanks to you for all your hard work in the supporter’s club and for giving me this opportunity of interviewing me. Thanks to all supporters who come to watch us play every game, committee, coach, players, and friends. Finally I can’t forget our families who make sacrifices with us since we have training everyday. Come on Whites lets make Rabat proud of our team!!!

Thanks Jonathan and Good Luck for your future!!!

Interviews: Jonathon Bezzina , Emmanuel Muscat, Adam Smeir , Joe Gerada (Coach), Jonathan Azzopardi.