It’s been a bit of a wait, but after a two week absence, Melbourne Heart’s new signing Michael Mifsud will finally make his debut for the club against Perth Glory on Sunday.
Mifsud spent the opening weekend of the season on international duty, where he played for his native Malta and picked up a milestone in the process.
“It is always a nice achievement to receive your 100th cap. I’m sure everybody would like to get his 100th cap, and I had a nice presentation back home,” Mifsud said.
“It’s always nice playing for your country, especially going back home seeing my family as well. Of course it’s always nice scoring a goal and to be on the scoring sheet, especially against a big player like Petr Cech.”
While he was away, he managed to keep tabs on his club side, catching highlights of Melbourne Heart’s opening two fixtures and admitting he was impressed with what he saw.
“I already missed my debut, with the derby against Melbourne Victory, which was a big game. The lads played well in that game, even in the second game we played well, we defended really well,” he said.
“We were compact and the instructions the manager gave everybody followed. Everybody played very well, talked to each other, helped each other.”
Nicknamed “the Mosquito”, Mifsud’s speed and presence up front will be a welcome addition to what has already proved to be a potent attack. Heart may be without Kewell again, but Mifsud will have an able supporting cast in Golgol Mebrahtu, Iain Ramsay and David Williams.
His coach John Aloisi was also looking forward to finally being able to use his international striker for the first time this season, praising the spirit Mifsud brings to the squad.
“[I’m] excited about Mifsud, he’s looked good in training, he’s sharp, he’s always energetic on and off the pitch he’s a lively guy and I can’t wait to see him play,” Aloisi said.
“He’s always talking, he’s always joking around with the players and he’s got that confidence that most strikers do have.”