There’s one thing that Malta likes more than beer, sun, good food and controversy and it’s football. Younger generations are quick to name international Maltese players like forward Michael Mifsud and goalkeeper Justin Haber, but before they represented the country on the football pitch, it was Carmel Busuttil that first injected local fans with a sense of pride and glory.

Known by his nickname Il-Buzu, Carmel began his career with Rabat Ajax and went on to play with Italian team Verbania as well as Belgian first division side Genk. A fan favourite, he eventually captained the Belgian side and scored 57 goals in 183 matches.

Il-Buzu was also a member of the national team, with his first appearance occurring in 1982. He went on to score 23 goals over 113 appearances, making him Malta’s fourth highest-scoring footballer.

Carmel eventually returned to Malta where he joined Sliema Wanderers till he retired in 2001 at the age of 37. The footballer won several accolades during his career, including three Premier League title wins, two FA Cup title wins and four Super Cup title wins, as well as several personal honours such as Malta’s Golden Player totem at the UEFA Jubilee Awards and the Medal for Services Rendered to the Republic of Malta.

Following his retirement, Carmel continued to work in the local football scene by assisting with the coaching of Malta's National team and opening his own football academy.

Check out Il-Buzu's incredible goal-scoring skills below:

He is the true definition of a force of nature!