In August 2020, news spread that nine-year-old Miguel Damato had passed away after a battle with cancer. Tributes from all those who knew the “exceptional boy” poured in, as did sympathy and love for his family.

Five months down the line, his aunt Marika Pace shared a short tribute on the local Facebook group, In Memoriam Malta. “Today marks five months since my nephew Miguel Damato left us at the age of nine. God wanted an angel and he called him,” she said, captioning a photo of Miguel.

The youngster was an avid football player and is said to have left an impact on all those who met him. “Miguel was loved and cared for as if he was our very own, and we will miss him dearly,” his school, Birkirkara Primary, penned last summer.