Kristian Laferla
Encyclopedia
Kris Laferla is a retired Maltese
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 who played as a defensive midfielder during his career. He most notably played for Valletta
Valletta F.C.
Valletta Football Club is a Maltese football club based in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Valletta F.C. has the strongest support on the island...

 and Sliema Wanderers
Sliema Wanderers F.C.
Sliema Wanderers Football Club are a Maltese football team from the town of Sliema, which currently plays in the Maltese Premier League.-History:The club was founded in 1909...

.

Playing career

Laferla got his senior team debut for St. Andrew's on December 12th 1983 in a 0-0 draw vs. Birzebbuga
Birzebbuga St. Peters F.C.
Birzebbuga St. Peters Football Club is a Maltese football club from the southern town of Birzebbuga, which currently plays in the Maltese First Division. They are the only football team from the town of Birzebbuga. They are known for producing young players from their Youth Nursery, which is called...

. He joined Valletta in 1985/1986, getting his debut in the Premier Division game vs. Zurrieq September 1st 1985. His first goal was scored from the penalty spot in a game vs. Tarxien
Tarxien Rainbows F.C.
Tarxien Rainbows Football Club are a football team from Tarxien, a town in southern Malta. They currently play in the Maltese Premier League.The club were founded as Little Rainbows in 1944, and participated in the Maltese Premier League for the 2009–10 season. The club was promoted to the best...

 on September 6th 1986. He moved to Sliema Wanderers near the end of his career and got his debut on January 1st 2003 in a 5-0 win over Marsa. Laferla also played international football with the Malta national football team
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...

 scoring 6 goals in 65 appearances and captaining the team on 18 occasions (3 after the original captain was substituted). His debut came on November 16th 1986 in a 0-5 loss to Sweden. He is remembered for missing a penalty that could have reduced the gap of 2-0 against Italy in 1993, in a match that ended 2-1 for the Azzurri, as well as for playing over 500 Maltese Premier League
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons , is the top level league for football in Malta. The league was first competed in 1909...

 matches throughout his career. Laferla captained Valletta for a number of years in the 1990s, when the team was always at or near the top of the Maltese Premier Division. He was known for his leadership skills, but also for being versatile. Although primarily used as a defensive midfielder, he was also employed in various defensive positions and on rare occasions even in attack.

Personal life

Laferla, having lost interest in the game, is now an owner of a nightclub in Paceville
Paceville
Located west of St. Julian's, Malta, Paceville is the name given to an informal district heavily populated with nightclubs, bars, pubs and restaurants, and is a very important nightlife hub on the island. Paceville is located between Spinola Point and Dragonara Point, delimiting Spinola Bay and St...

. He is married with three children.
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