John Bonello (footballer)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 May 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Msida, Malta | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| -1972 | Fgura United | ||
| 1972-1974 | Hibernians | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1974–1980 | Hibernians | 62 | (0) |
| 1980–1981 | SC Herford | 6 | (0) |
| 1981–1993 | Hibernians | 151 | (0) |
| 1996–1999 | Ħamrun Spartans | 32 | (0) |
| Total | 251 | (0) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1979–1987 | Malta | 29 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 March 2012 | |||
John Bonello (born 10 May 1958) is a Maltese retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Born in Msida, Bonello has played the majority of his career at Hibernians Paola, whom he joined from Fgura United. After being sidelined by Hibs for a few seasons he joined Ħamrun Spartans in 1996.[1] He also had a season abroad at West German lower league side SC Herford.[2] He was voted Malta Footballer of the Month in March 1986.[3]
International career
Bonello made his debut for Malta in an August 1979 friendly match against Tunisia. He earned a total of 29 caps, scoring no goals. He has represented his country in 7 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[4] Bonello was the goalkeeper in the infamous December 1983 European Championship qualification defeat by Spain, which Malta lost 1–12, ensuring that Spain qualified for Euro 1984 ahead of the Netherlands.[5]
His final international was a January 1987 European Championship qualification match against Italy.[6]
