Lolly Debattista
Personal information
Full name Emmanuel Debattista
Date of birth (1929-12-21)21 December 1929[1][2]
Place of birth Malta
Date of death 2 May 2021(2021-05-02) (aged 91)[3]
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1947–1967 Floriana[2]
International career
1957–1962 Malta 3 (0)
Managerial career
1975–1976 Ħamrun Spartans[2]
1976–1979 Valletta[2]
1991–1993 Ħamrun Spartans[2]
1993–1994 Senglea Athletic
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Emmanuel Debattista (21 December 1929 – 2 May 2021),[1][2] better known as Lolly Debattista, was a Maltese footballer player and manager. A one-club man, he spent his whole career playing as a defender for Floriana.

Playing career

Club

Debattista began his career with Floriana Ajax, a youth team that was annexed in the 1948–49 season by Floriana. After the juniors won two prestigious victories against arch-rivals Sliema Wanderers (including a 5–0 victory), some were promoted permanently to the senior team.

Debattista played for Floriana for his entire playing career, which ended in 1967.[2] During his career, the Evergreens won the Maltese Premier League seven times and the Maltese FA Trophy nine times.

International

Debattista played three times for the Maltese national football team,[2] including the first ever match against Austria played on 24 February 1957. His first international match was the European Championship qualifier against Denmark, which Malta lost 6–1.[4]

Managerial career

Debattista began coaching at youth level for Floriana, and later was assistant coach of the first team under the leadership of his cousin Lolly Borg, in the 1961–62 season. In 1975, Debattista became head coach of the Ħamrun Spartans, with whom in his first season they gained promotion to the Maltese Premier League.[5] In December 1976, he was hired by Valletta, where he reached the cup finals twice in a row, defeating his old club Floriana on both occasions. He also won the league title for the 1977–78 season.[6]

From 1991 to 1993 he had a second spell at the helm of Ħamrun Spartans, which he led to win a Maltese FA Trophy in 1991–92 and a Maltese Super Cup in 1991. In 1994 after an unsuccessful spell with Senglea Athletic he decided to retire as a manager.[7]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by national team and year[8]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Malta 195710
196220
Total30

Honours

As a player

Floriana

Individual

As a manager

Ħamrun Spartans

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Story of Lolly Debattista: First player to be awarded the Footballer of the Year award by the MFA". Malta Independent. 18 October 2005. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Lolly Debattista". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Malta FA saddened by death of Lolly Debattista". Malta Football Association. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "Profile". Scoreshelf.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Camilleri, Valhmor (2 May 2021). "Legendary Floriana stalwart Lolly Debattista dies, aged 91". SportsDesk. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "Former Valletta FC coach Lolly Debattista passes away". 2 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Baldacchino, Carmel (2 May 2021). "Lolly Debattista – the last of the great Floriana Ajax legends". SportsDesk. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Lolly Debattista". eu-football.info. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
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