Gejtu Psaila
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1893[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Ħamrun, Crown Colony of Malta[1] | ||
| Date of death | 14 March 1968 (aged 74–75) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1910–1918 | Ħamrun Spartans | ||
| 1918–1919 | KOMRM | ||
| 1920–1921 | Marsa United | ||
| 1921–1922 | Malta Police | ||
| 1922–1925 | Floriana | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gejtu Psaila (1893 – 14 March 1968), also known as Il-Haċċa, was a Maltese footballer who played as a defender. He was the first ever professional footballer from Malta, and was considered one of the best Maltese footballers of all time.[2]
Psaila began his career at Ħamrun Spartans in 1910, where he helped them win two league titles.[2] In 1918, he joined a team representing The King's Own Malta Regiment, who he had previously played for in a charity match for in 1916.[3] Psaila helped the team win the 1918–19 Maltese First Division,[2] in the team's only league season. He spent the 1920–21 season at newly-formed Marsa United, before joining the Malta Police football team, which he helped create.[2]
At Malta Police, he was considered one of the team's star players for the 1921–22 season, and was the team's captain.[2] In 1922, he signed for Floriana, where he became Malta's first ever professional footballer.[2] Psaila spent three seasons at Floriana, where he helped them win the Cassar Cup in 1923 and the Maltese First Division in the 1924–25 season, before retiring from football.[2]
In 2022, Psaila was chosen by the IFFHS for their Malta all-time men's dream team.[4]
International career
While the Malta national football team did not exist yet, Psaila represented an MFA League XI during World War I.[5]