20th November – Jon Knudsen

Jon Knudsen is one of the rare players to be a club legend at a team that he never even played for or was every really assosciated with.

The goalkeeper is loved at Norwegian side Rosenborg despite never being involved with the club. What makes it more remarkable is that he won the league title for them while his own team got relegated. On the final day of the 2004 season, his team Stabaek were playing Valerenga, who were going for the title. It is one the closest title races in history and in the last minute of the game with Valerenga only needing one more goal to win the title, Morten Berre ran through but Knudsen pulled off a save and therfore Rosenborg won the championship.

His career started at Lillestrom and made his debut in 1993 after replacing first choice Frode Grodas who was injured in the first half against Ham Kam. Remarkably his team were 2-0 down when he came on but they would win the game 4-3. He played the next five games but unfortunately he never got much game time after and went out on loan to Stromsgodset. His luck didn’t get much better there because he suffered a broken leg in his seventh game and was out of action for 13 months.

In 1999, he decided to leave his homeland and he joined Danish side FC Midtjylland. Despite having a good record though, only conceding eight goals in 15 games, he returned to Norway, joining Stabaek. He was first choice straightaway but missed all of the 2001 season due to epilepsy. Thankfully he did manage to return and made a lot of appearances, including every league game between 2004 and 2007.

He remained first choice for a long time but an injury at the start of the 2011 season was the beginning of the end for Knudsen and at the end of 2012 there were many contract problems at the club. On the final day of the season, Knudsen requested to be substituted on the 53^rd minute and it is believed that it was due to these contract issues that he did.

After the season he signed for Fredrikstad and was first choice for the opening 12 games of the season but he lost his place after that and announced that he would be retiring at the end of the campaign. However, first club Lillestrom had a goalkeeping injury crisis and approached Knudsen to sign for the club. He signed on until the end of the season and 18 years after his last game for the club he managed to keep a clean sheet in a win over Bryne in the Third Round of the 2013 Norwegian Football Cup.

The final word can go to Fredrikstad manager Tom Freddy Aune. “In Jon we get one of Norway’s best goalkeepers. He is an experienced goalkeeper and has played well against us and I am sure that he plays well in the FFK cage as well.”

22nd August – Heidar Helguson

Heidar Helguson was not one of the tallest strikers to play in England but he certainly scored a lot of headers during his career and was always a threat from crosses.

The striker made a career of out jumping much taller defenders and powering home headers but he was also very good when the ball was on the floor and could bring his teammates into play. A lot of people would argue that he never got a fair chance in the top flight with various different clubs but he always a threat and had a very good goalscoring record throughout his career.

Helguson started his career at hometown club UMFS Dalvik in Iceland and was given his first team debut at the age of just 15. He hit the ground running with five goals in 11 games and this earned him a move to Prottur in 1994. He stayed at the club for three seasons and after scoring 31 goals in 54 league appearances he was being linked with moves to several European clubs. He eventually moved to Norwegian side Lillestrom in the autumn of 1998 and strangely wore the number one shirt. In his first full season he was one of the surprises of the season as he hit 16 league goals and had his own fan club named after him, ‘The Helgusonsons’.

Midway through the 1999-2000 season Helguson transferred to the Premier League and joined Watford for £1.5 million. Despite scoring six goals, he could not prevent Watford getting relegated and was then part of the team that went 15 games undefeated at the start of the next season. However, both he and the club went into decline and with Helguson being played out of position by new manager Gianluca Vialli, he struggled to make a positive impact.

After Ray Lewington took charge Helguson rediscovered his form and ended the 2002-03 season as the club’s top goalscorer with 13 goals, however an injury kept him out of the first half of the next season but still managed eight goals in 22 league games. His final season at the club was injury free and he ended it with 20 goals in all competitions and was linked with moves to the Premier League.

Fulham signed the striker on the 27th June 2005 but he had to wait to become a starter and was largely used as a substitute to begin with. When he did eventually break into the first team he showed his quality and scored some memorable goals and finished with 10 in all competitions. The next season was more frustrating as he only managed three goals and joined Bolton Wanderers in the following summer. He stayed at the club for two seasons but only played eight times because of injuries and left the club for QPR.

Initially he joined on loan and after scoring five times in his first 10 game he joined the club permanently. However, after failing to add to his goal tally and falling out of favour he rejoined Watford on loan. He spent most of the season there scoring 11 times in 29 games. Afterwards he regained his place in the QPR starting 11 and helped get them promoted to the Premier League by scoring 13 goals and while in the top flight he was their top scorer in their successful relegation battle. Despite missing the second half he still managed to score eight goals in 16 games.

On the 2nd August 2012 Helguson signed for Cardiff City. Although he scored eight goals and helped them get promoted to the Premier League, he left the club when his contract expired at the end of the season.

The final word can go to his Cardiff manager Malky Mackay. “He’s the man that really stepped up to the plate and was that battering ram for us. He’s absolutely the type of guy I’d fill a club with. I’ve got great admiration for him and what he’s done in his career.”

17th April – Michael Mifsud

Not many players from Malta have played in England and even less have scored two goals at Old Trafford to knock Manchester United out of a cup.

The Maltese Sports Person of the Year in 2001 and 2003 Michael Mifsud is 33 today and he managed to do this in 2007 in the third round of the League Cup. This would have been a great moment for him as in 1999 he had a trial at Manchester United while a player at Sliema Wanderers but he was not offered a permanent deal and continued to be one of the hottest properties ever in Maltese football. He scored 60 goals in 80 league games for his first club which led to German club Kaiserslautern taking a chance on him.

He was a regular for their ‘B’ side and continued his good goal scoring record which meant he was given a few opportunities in the first team however after only two goals in 21 games, the player felt he needed to be playing more football and left the club to rejoin Sliema. In just 12 games he scored eight times and helped the club win the league title.

Once again he was on the move and this time it was to Norwegian side Lillestrom. He proved his quality at the club in a higher quality league and was voted as the best foreigner in the league after 11 goals in 19 games. Although they did not want him to leave he would not extend his contract and joined Coventry City.

Unfortunately for him the manager that signed him, Micky Adams, was sacked two days later. This could have stopped him fulfilling his potential but he proved he was good enough for a place in the side and scored his first goal after coming on as a substitute against Plymouth Argyle. Before the end of the season he scored another three goals including the goal of the season against Sheffield Wednesday.

It was in the next season that he produced his best football including his performance at Old Trafford. Manager at the time Iain Dowie said: “He buzzes around and he can be a real pest, but he is so quick, that he can be too quick for himself. That can be a problem but we have worked on his finishing and this will have done him good.”

He continued to excel and had 15 goals by the time he was about to face Premier League opposition again. This time it was Blackburn Rovers and he repeated what he did against Alex Ferguson’s men. Them two goals made him the Player of the Round. In the following months and season his goals slowed because he was now playing as a winger but was still a threat.

Before leaving Coventry he had a loan spell at Barnsley where he scored two goals in 15 games. This is when his career hit a wall and he was looking for clubs, eventually ending up back in Malta with Valletta where he continued where he left off in the country, scoring goals for fun.

Although he clearly loves it in Malta he is too good for that league and wanted to move back abroad. His next career move was to Australian club Melbourne Heart but he has just been released by the club. But the last word can go to his head coach there John Aloisi: “Michael has scored goals at whatever level he has played at. He is an exciting footballer and will be a dynamic influence in our attack. He has played against the very best teams and held his own.”