Joseph Mbong and Yulya Carella crowned Footballers of the Year at Malta FA Awards Night

Ħamrun Spartans forward Joseph Mbong and Mġarr United striker Yulya Carella were named Men’s and Women’s Footballers of the Year during the 2026 Malta FA Awards Night held on Tuesday evening.

The annual ceremony celebrated the outstanding achievements of players, coaches and officials across Maltese football following another memorable season.

Floriana’s successful campaign was also recognised during the evening, with Federico Nicolás Varela Escudero winning the Foreign Player of the Year award, while Daniel Portela was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Greens to their first Malta Premier title since the 2019/20 season.

Valletta youngster Jake Azzopardi received the Young Player of the Year award following an impressive campaign in which he helped the Citizens lift both the Jubilee Cup and the Meridianbet FA Trophy. His performances also earned him several call-ups to the Malta senior national team.

Another Valletta talent, Thomas Melillo, was named Men’s Youth League Best Player after playing a key role in the club’s Youth League A title-winning season.

In women’s football, Hibernians forward Nyorah Celeste won the Women’s Youth League Best Player award after an outstanding season that saw the Paolites secure a domestic double. Celeste scored 17 goals as Hibernians lifted both the Women’s Youth League and Women’s Youth Knockout titles.

Paul Lapira of Birżebbuġa St Peter’s was named Challenge League Best Player, while Precious Uchechukwu Nwankwo of Attard FC and Ryan Dalli of Kalkara United claimed the Amateur League 1 and Amateur League 2 Best Player awards respectively.

The Goal of the Year award went to Xewkija Tigers player Armando Melo Dos Santos Brenner for his spectacular long-range strike from the halfway line against Melita in the Meridianbet FA Trophy.

One of the evening’s most emotional moments came when Valletta defender Sava Radić received the President’s Award for his heroic intervention during the FA Trophy quarter-final against Ħamrun Spartans. Radić acted swiftly to assist teammate Mattias Garcia after a collision left him motionless, clearing his airway before medical staff arrived.

The Gozitan Achievement Award was presented to Swieqi United and Malta Under-21 international Benjamin Hili.

This year’s Malta FA Hall of Fame honour went to legendary goalkeeper Alfred “Il-Pampalun” Mizzi.

Widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation, Mizzi spent two decades with Hibernians and enjoyed tremendous success with the Paolites, winning three league titles, three FA Trophies and several other honours.

He is also remembered for his remarkable clean-sheet record of 1,055 consecutive minutes without conceding in competitive football.

The Malta FA Awards Night took place at the DoubleTree by Hilton.

Full List of Major Award Winners

• Women’s Youth League Best Player – Nyorah Celeste (Hibernians FC)
• Men’s Youth League Best Player – Thomas Melillo (Valletta FC)
• Young Player of the Year – Jake Azzopardi (Valletta FC)
• Challenge League Best Player – Paul Lapira (Birżebbuġa St Peter’s FC)
• Amateur League 1 Best Player – Precious Uchechukwu Nwankwo (Attard FC)
• Amateur League 2 Best Player – Ryan Dalli (Kalkara United FC)
• Fair Play Award – Swieqi United
• Gozitan Achievement Award – Benjamin Hili (Swieqi United FC)
• Foreign Player of the Year – Federico Nicolás Varela Escudero (Floriana FC)
• Football Social Responsibility Award – Thomas Debono
• President’s Award – Sava Radić (Valletta FC)
• Coach of the Year – Daniel Portela (Floriana FC)
• Hall of Fame – Alfred “Il-Pampalun” Mizzi
• Goal of the Year – Armando Melo Dos Santos Brenner (Xewkija Tigers FC)
• Women’s Footballer of the Year – Yulya Carella (Mġarr United FC)
• Men’s Footballer of the Year – Joseph Mbong (Ħamrun Spartans FC)

Top Scorers

• Malta Premier – Joseph Mbong (Ħamrun Spartans FC): 14 goals
• Challenge League – Arthur Felippe Stelmach Santana (Pietà Hotspurs FC) and Cristhyan Noto Souza (Mġarr United FC): 18 goals
• National Amateur League 1 – Precious Uchechukwu Nwankwo (Attard FC): 32 goals
• National Amateur League 2 – Ronaldinho Nathaniel Daley (Dingli Swallows FC): 20 goals
• Women’s League – Salamatu Abdulai (Swieqi United FC): 22 goals

Gerald Fenech

Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist