- Mario Muscat
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Mario Muscat 
Personal information Full name Mario Muscat Date of birth 18 August 1976 Place of birth Paola, Malta Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Playing position Goalkeeper Club information Current club Hibernians Number 1 Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1993– Hibernians 469 (1) National team‡ 1996– Malta 68 (0) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 July 2009.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 September 2008Mario Muscat (born 18 August 1976 in Paola, Malta) is a professional footballer currently playing for Maltese Premier League side Hibernians, where he plays as a goalkeeper.[1]
Contents
Playing career
Hibernians
It all began for Muscat during the 1993–94 season, when he was called into the first team squad of Hibernians. Although Muscat was just starting to learn his trade, in his debut he helped Hibernians win the Maltese Premier League title. He went on to make a total of 18 appearances throughout the season.
In the 1994–95 season at Hibernians again won the Maltese Premier League title, Muscat continued to impress with a string of fine displays for the club. He went onto make 12 appearances.
The 1995–96 season, saw Mario continue to show promise for Hibernians. Muscat went on to record 13 appearances, as Hibernians finished in fourth position in the Maltese Premier League. Despite Muscat failing to win the title with Hibernians for the third time, and was rewarded with a call-up to the Maltese national football team during the season.
Muscat went into the 1996–97 season hoping to emulate the form that had seen him called up to the national team. However, Hibernians on recorded a disappointing sixth place finish in the Maltese Premier League. Muscat went on to make 15 appearances during the season.
The 1997–98 season saw Muscat continue his fine form for Hibernians and the national team. He helped Hibernians improve on their previous league position with a fourth place finish in the Maltese Premier League. Muscat went on to make 23 appearances, and helped the club win the Maltese Cup and winning the Maltese Player of the Year award.
With Hibernians starting to improve as the seasons went on, Muscat continued to be an integral part of the team's fortunes and showed this during the 1998–99 season. Muscat made 26 appearances, as Hibernians again recorded a fourth place finish in the Maltese Premier League.
Muscat went into the 1999–2000 season, hoping to help Hibernians improve on their previous league position. The season saw Hibernians finish in sixth position in the Maltese Premier League, with Muscat making 24 appearances.
The 2000–01 season saw Hibernians improve on their previous league position and record a fourth-place finish. Muscat went on to make 25 appearances and even scored a goal.[citation needed]
After a lengthy absence, Muscat helped Hibernians return to the summit of Maltese football, as they were crowned champions of the Maltese Premier League for the 2001–02 season. Muscat was a key member of the Hibernians squad during the season, and went onto make 26 appearances.
Despite the success of the previous season, Muscat and Hibernians could not emulate the same achievement during the 2002–03 season. The club went on to finish the season in fourth position in the Maltese Premier League, with Muscat making 28 appearances.
In the 2003–04 season, the club went on to finish one place better than the previous season, in third position. Muscat made 27 appearances during the season.
The 2004–05 season saw Muscat and Hibernians secure another third-place finish in the Maltese Premier League. He went on to make 27 appearances.
Muscat's impressive form continued into the 2005–06 season, he helped Hibernians secure a fourth-place finish in the Maltese Premier League, making 24 appearances. He also helped the club win the Maltese Cup.
Muscat went into the 2006–07 season, and added to his medals collection, as Hibernians secured the Maltese Cup for the second consecutive season. On the domestic front, Hibernians finished in fifth position in the Maltese Premier League, with Muscat making 25 appearances.
The 2007–08 season turned out to be a very disappointing one for Hibernians, as the club finished the first phase of the season in the relegation pool. They finished the season in seventh position. Muscat went on to make 19 appearances. However, the won the Maltese Super Cup.
Muscat and Hibernians went from one extreme to the other during the 2008–09 season. Under the guidance of new manager Mark Miller, the club shocked the critics[who?] and beat Valletta by two points to win the Maltese Premier League title. Muscat made 28 appearances.
In the 2009–10, his club went on to finish the season in sixth position in the Maltese Premier League.
Honours
HiberniansWinner
- 1993–94, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2008–09 Maltese Premier League
- 1998, 2006, 2007 Maltese Cup
- 2007–08 Maltese Super Cup
- 1997–98 Maltese Player of the Year
Career statistics
Statistics accurate as of match played 9 August 2009.
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Malta League Maltese Cup League Cup Europe Total 1993–94 Hibernians Maltese Premier League 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 1994–95 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 1995–96 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 0 1996–97 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 0 1997–98 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 0 1998–99 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 0 1999–00 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 0 2000–01 25 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 1 2001-02 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 0 2002-03 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 0 2003-04 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 0 2004-05 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 0 2005-06 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 0 2006-07 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 0 2007-08 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 2008-09 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 0 2009-10 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 0 2009-10 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 Total Malta 396 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 396 1 Career total 396 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 396 1 See also
- List of one-club men
- List of goalscoring goalkeepers
References
External links
- Mario Muscat Keeper School Website
- Mario Muscat at MaltaFootball.com
- Mario Muscat career stats at Soccerbase
- National Football Teams
Hibernians F.C. – current squad Categories:- Living people
- 1976 births
- Maltese footballers
- Malta international footballers
- Hibernians F.C. players
- Association football goalkeepers
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