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A distinguished sportsman, a celebrated footballer and above all a true gentleman, these are the common factors which last Tuesday drew the crowd which bid him farewell at his hometown parish church of Jesus of Nazareth in Sliema. Born the 5 February 1953 in Sliema, aged 13 he signed with Sliema Wanderers with whom his elder brother Edward played. He debuted on 16 January 1972 against Gzira United and he stayed close to the game until illness prevented him from participation. As a footballer he played for Sliema, Melita, Naxxar, Luxol St. Andrew’s and the Malta National Squad. Close friends shared ‘Ritchie’s’ memory with Maltatoday.
Eddie Aquilina was Ritchie’s friend for 35 years and the two were best-men at each other’s weddings. He describes him as uncomplicated, unpretentious, someone who loved the simple life and was easily amused. “Ritchie never had a bad word against anyone and this, apart from his amazing football skills, distinguished him above everyone else. One thing which I’ll never forgive him is when I was abroad and Ritchie took my son Edward to a picnic. There they set up a football match and Ritchie took Edward in his team and told the young impressionable boy ‘you play for Italy now’. Edward still supports Italy.
“The greatest compliment I get from people is that they mistake me for a relative of Ritchie, whose brother is also called Edward.”
Huey Caruana, Sliema Wanderers’ FC present coach paid Aquilina tribute by laying Sliema’s shirt on the player’s coffin. He remembers the young Ritchie as a kind, open-minded sportsman whose gentle smile and dedication to sports commanded the respect of all on the field. Caruana, a former Sliema player himself, remembers the young Aquilina at the Sliema ‘pitch’. Ritchie’s football, the Sliema coach says, had retained a sense of purity, a sense of cleanliness that is rare. “Sports was a true passion of his and having him as a friend was a true privilege.”
A childhood friend and fellow Sliema player, Joe Serge, describes Ritchie as a trustworthy person of great talent. “He had a strong sense of leadership. He was cool, composed but very determined. His ball-control was outstanding.”
Aquilina’s popularity reached its peak following his two goals against Greece at the Gzira Stadium on the 22 February 1975. That day Malta obtained a rare 3-0 win in the European Championships. In all he played eight times for the National Squad.
Malta Football Association’s president Joe Mifsud says Aquilina will be dearly missed. “He was good-natured, an altruist and a great footballer.” Louis Micallef, MFA deputy secretary says Aquilina stands as an exemplary figure in the history of Maltese football.
Former national squad coach Pippo Psaila, a good friend of Ritchie Aquilina and coach at Melita FC, says Aquilina’s legacy goes way beyond the football pitch. “There are persons who live a hundred years and leave nothing behind. Others live for a day and change the world. Aquilina belonged to the latter kind.” Aquilina’s humility, generosity and understanding make simple descriptions of the man impossible, Psaila adds. “He was a true gentleman both on and off the pitch.”
Dominic Chircop, Naxxar Lions’ vice-president, played alongside Aquilina back in 1987, He says Aquilina gave his services to the club “unconditionally”, often assisting with the club’s nursery’s training. Aquilina played a determinative role in helping the team move from first to premier division.
Following a small injury Aquilina joined Luxol St Andrew’s, with Robert Kelly as coach, none other than his next door neighbour, with whom he often exercised. Kelly says he can never forget their jogging sessions on the Sliema seafront and their collaboration while playing on the 5-a-side tournaments. “Ritchie personified calmness not to mention his terrific sense of humour. It is such a pity to lose such a man.”
Back in February 1975, Fr Hilary Tagliaferro was the commentator broadcasting from the Gzira Stadium when Ritchie scored his first goal against Greece. “That was a fantastic sensation. He gave the Maltese a sense of national pride. It remains a truly unique experience imprinted in my life as a sports broadcaster.” Tagliaferro also administered the last religious rites to Aquilina and he stressed the impression the man’s faith had left on him. “Being at Richard’s bedside I really felt God’s presence… allow me to cite the following Muslim prayer which I think epitomizes his state-of-being before passing away. Lord may the end of my life be the best part of my life. May my closing act be my best act and may the best of my days be the day when I shall meet you.”
• Ritchie Aquilina died Monday, 8 January aged 52. He is
survived by his wife Nicky.
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