MICHAEL MIFSUD has a long history at Manchester United.
The former striker went from being on trial at Old Trafford to scoring twice against them in a famous victory for Coventry in eight years.
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In 1999, as one of Maltese football’s biggest prospects, the teenager was invited to train alongside United’s Treble-winning stars at The Cliff – their former complex.
And although at the time he was unable to sign a permanent contract with Malta, which was not part of the European Union, those two weeks helped shape his career.
Mifsud, 42, told SunSport: “I trained with the first team. Gary Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane were all there, the legends.
“Just walking into the dressing room, seeing all the kits, you’re changing with Beckham’s boots next to you, it was surreal. It was a dream come true.
“I spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson a bit, although everyone was scared of him.
“It showed me what real football was like and made me even hungrier. I wanted to be like Beckham and score goals like Andy Cole.”
Mifsud, famously nicknamed Mosquito by a rival, ended up coming to English football – through spells in Norway and Germany – when he joined Coventry in January 2007.
And he could hardly believe his luck eight months later when the Sky Blues drew United in the third round of the League Cup.
Against a Red Devils team that included the likes of Gerard Pique, Anderson and Nani, he wrote his name into Coventry folklore.
After scoring the first goal, Mifsud sealed the tie 20 minutes from time with a memorable second.
In front of Coventry’s 11,000 traveling fans, he left the great Piqué on his back before heading home.
He said: “I’m getting goosebumps thinking about it.
“You never get tired of something good. I was very grateful and lucky to achieve what I did. We were like a family, so it was a real team effort.
“The game and my performance were fantastic. I could have scored a hat-trick with my heel hitting the post, but my second goal was really beautiful.
“I went to celebrate with our fans, they were behind the goal and it was a very special feeling.
“Everyone in Malta supported me. Half of Malta supports United, but on the day they supported me. I got so many messages my phone was like ping, ping, ping.”
Among the United fans was Mifsud’s mother, although she was not at the game.
At the beginning of her career, he forbade her to come.
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He explained: “Sometimes as a striker you have to dive to win a free kick and my mum would go crazy and say: ‘Is he hurt, is he hurt?’.
“So I said, Mom, ‘Please don’t come and watch, I do it on purpose.’ So, she always watched the games on TV.”
Mifsud smiles when asked about mocking Piqué.
At the time, the Spaniard was a rookie, but went on to have a career full of trophies – for which the striker takes responsibility.
He said: “My friends sometimes joke about what I did to him, and I tell them: ‘I boosted his career, he won the league, the Champions League and the World Cup after that’.”
The former hitman flew into the semi-final at Wembley.
But does he think the current Cov crop can replicate the 2007 class? Mifsud said: “Yes, I believe they can.
“It’s a good time to play them. Manchester United are not going through a good time, so it is a good time to reach and win the game.
“I’m looking forward to being there with the fans. I’m so grateful for them, it’s like going back in time.”
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