News • 24 November 2002

Antoine Zahra is crocked again and set to leave for Germany

Birkirkara - Birkirkara and Malta midfielder Antoine Zahra is undoubtedly one of the most unfortunate players in Malta, if not in Europe. After practically coming back from a long injury lay-off, the Malta international has injured his knee again during light training with the physiotherapist last Friday. Zahra pulled a muscle from the same place were he injured and had to stay out of the game for practically more than a year. But after a surgery intervention in Germany this summer he was improving quite steadily and looked set to return to the game. Such was his improvement that the doctor gave him the go-ahead to play in Birkirkara’s next match against Sliema at the end of this month. Now the player is expected to go back to Germany to meet his surgeon. Although it is still early days, Maltese doctors predict that it is unlikely that he will resume playing before another six weeks.

This is a blow for the player who was also hoping for a call up by the Malta side. Antoine Zahra had also ended talk of a possible move to a new club by finalising a new two-year contract with Maltese Premier League side Birkirkara FC this season. Sliema Wanderers were already monitoring things and were very much interested in the player.

Hometown club

Zahra started his footballing career as a Birkirkara trainee, but the captain and mastermind of his hometown club’s sole championship-winning season in 1999/00 has been plagued with long-term injuries for the past two years, which has kept him very much away from the game.

September return

It seemed that the worst was now over and Zahra had already begun light training. He was aiming to be fit by September, meaning missing his team’s UEFA Cup qualifying round contest against Ukraine’s FC Metalurh Zaporizhya. "I am just pleased that things have been sorted out this way, he said after agreeing the deal. "There was no way I wanted to leave."

But he did not start playing in September as doctors gave him sound advice to start playing in November or December. Now who knows when he will return.

For Birkirkara Zahra is an idol. A hero. The captain. He is more than merely a player – he is a symbol of the club. The finest player ever to come out of the Birkirkara Youth Nursery, Zahra was also the first Birkirkara player ever to lift the championship trophy. He made his debut in the Premier at the age of 15, he was a regular in the first team a year later and had captained the side by the time he reached 19. He will always be remembered for scoring the crucial goal against Lokomotiv Tbilisi which put Birkirkara into the first round of the UEFA Cup. But equally as important – and probably more memorable – was the goal he scored against Valletta which gave Birkirkara their first victory over the citizens in over 30 years. A supporter first and foremost, Zahra plays with understandable passion. Technically gifted, he has learnt to sacrifice his attacking instincts in order to play in a more defensive role. MaltaToday wishes Antoine Zahra the best of luck as Malta need players like him.