10 things you didn’t know about England’s opponents Malta

Gareth Southgate kicks off his interim spell as England manager with a 2018 World Cup qualifier at home to minnows Malta inside Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

But what exactly do we know about our Group F opponents? To be honest, not much. Not off the top of our head anyway.

More renowned for being a nice holiday destination, not many people would be able to recall memorable moments from their footballing past.

Well, thankfully SHOOT has you covered, as we have looked into Malta’s history to discover 10 facts you may not know about the visiting team, who are looking to spoil Southgate’s special day and heap yet more misery on English football.

Take a look and impress your mates with these (probably) unknown facts before kick-off…

Worst-ever ranking

Hardly something the Maltese men will boast about. But; according to FIFA, they are one of, if not, the worst ever Malta national football team.

Ranked 176th in the FIFA World Rankings, their current positioning is the country’s lowest in their history.

The likes of Tahiti (172nd), St. Lucia (171st) and Kosovo (168th) are officially ranked above them.

Their best ever ranking was back in September 1994 and September 1995, where they were boosted up to 66th in the rankings respectively.

Malta have never qualified for a major tournament

Pietro Ghedin’s men lost 5-1 in their Group F opener to the hands of fellow home nation, Scotland, last month. Another poor start to a qualifying process, in which they are expected to be rooted to the bottom of the standings.

This is because Malta have never qualified for a major football tournament, World Cup or European Championships, since their Euro qualifying debut ahead of the 1962 finals.

Eight-year wait for first competitive win

Despite playing their first-ever international fixture against Austria on February 24, 1957, where they eventually lost 3-2, Malta had to wait until 1975 for their first competitive win.

That came against Greece (2-0) during a European Championship qualifying victory 41 years ago.

All-time leading goalscorer

An important privilege, and this one is still ongoing, with striker Michael Mifsud still starring for his country at the age of 35.

The Valletta forward has found the back of the net 40 times in 118 appearances.

England have a 100% record against Malta

England have prevailed victorious in all three of their meetings with the Reds – competitive and non-competitive.

The first encounter came back in February 1971, where Martin Peters scored the only goal of the game to give the Three Lions all three points against the minnows in Gzira during their Euro 1972 qualifying group.

Just three months later, England put in a much more convincing display the next time they faced Malta, romping to a 5-0 win – Martin Chivers bagged a brace at Wembley.

And finally; the latest meeting was back in June 2000, where Kevin Keegan’s Three Lions edged out the Reds 2-1.

Goals from Martin Keown and Emile Heskey inside the Ta’Qali National Stadium secured the win, after goalkeeper Richard Wright netted a 29th minute own goal to draw Malta level temporarily, only to save David Carabott’s penalty late on to deny the hosts an impressive draw.

Can we play you every week?

March 26, 2008; Malta recorded their largest ever victory, a 7-1 thrashing of Liechtenstein in a friendly.

Striker Michael Mifsud scoring five goals.

All-time leading appearance maker

This honourable accolade belongs to David Carabott.

The 48-year-old; who could operate in defence or midfield, racked up 122 international caps for his country, scoring 12 goals.

He now manages Maltese First Division outfit Marsa.

English is an official language in Malta

Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.

Maltese is spoken by almost the entire population of the country, although 90% of the population are also able to speak English, after replacing Italian as an official language back in 1934.

Maltese population is smaller than Bristol

The population of Malta stands around the 420,500+ mark, meaning there are more people living in Bristol (428,200+), England, than the visiting country this weekend.

Possess a former Championship star

Yes; it is that man again! Star striker and captain, Michael Mifsud.

The 35-year-old scored 18 goals in 101 English Championship appearances for Coventry City and Barnsley between 2007 and 2009.

Almost unarguably though, his greatest memory in English football was dumping giants Manchester United out of the Carling Cup back in September 2007, scoring twice to shock Sir Alex Ferguson’s side at Old Trafford (0-2).