by Charlene Zammit led Malta onto the pitch against Italy, in a match that marked her 100th appearance at national team level, making her just the fourth Maltese female player to achieve this. Malta’s number sixteen reflected on the resolve against everyday battles to reach this moment, while underscoring the everlasting determination to push the women’s game upward alongside it.
On The Winding Road To Reach 100
Charlene Zammit led Malta onto the pitch against Italy on Friday, in a special moment marking her 100th cap with the senior Malta national team. The defender became just the fourth player to reach this milestone in the women’s national team history, following Dorianne Theuma, Stephania Farrugia and Rachel Cuschieri.
Asked about reaching this milestone, Zammit reflected on her beginnings in football, “One-hundred caps means a lot, especially when I look back to where I started from! I started proper training with a club at the age of fifteen, so I missed or lacked a lot of basic techniques and tactics. I dedicated hours of extra hard work on my own to get to this point. I also suffered a lot of injuries which set me back, but never stopped me from continuing pushing forward.”
The defender underlined the lasting impacts of ACL injuries that she still carries the impact of. Reflecting on those tough moments, the defender alluded to the mental resilience built to ultimately reach this moment, “Reaching this milestone means that I never gave up. I had a lot of injuries throughout this time, many imbalances and set-backs. I looked at my teammates and they were pushing forward, while I was dealing with more set-backs.”
She continued, “My second cruciate injury added more imbalances and further challenged my resolve to continue. However, somehow instead of stopping, something triggered to push even further, to overcome all the pain I had, and still have, to keep going.”
At times, it is those closest who perhaps are best able to sum up the person and this was underscored as Malta’s number sixteen was asked what kept her going in those moments and still going today, “Someone special highlighted this to me and I completely agree, “your mind pushes beyond what your body can withstand!”
A Milestone That Underscores Zammit’s Wider Impact
Her 100th cap came in a match that ended in a tough defeat at the hands of Italy, a match that has plenty of things to be dissected for those willing to look into it beyond the scoreline.
However, as one of Malta’s leading figures in football, Zammit’s statement on her everyday life should be an easy place to start to understand the stark imbalances that still exist for Malta’s team against such leading nations. “I have to juggle a full-time job, training everyday, coaching (the next generation) and managing my chronic physical problems.”
While Charlene Zammit has earned the one-hundred caps with the national team, she is one of the players who have not only served the game on the pitch, but also fought hard for standards off it and one who is key to its future.
“These one-hundred games are important to reflect not just on the matches, but also on the work we have put in to get to were we are. When I started in the national team we had nothing. We fought very hard to get to where we are today, to get the recognition, technical staff and better conditions. We deserve all this and better, as we fight very hard to overcome everyday struggles to make this nation proud!”
Ultimately, the pull of the game remains the constant that pushes her to training everyday. There was fire in the defender’s eyes as she said, “I still love the game very much and this is why I do it.”
As noted above, a leader on and off the pitch, Charlene Zammit took the moment to celebrate achieving her 100th cap by looking beyond herself, and setting sights on continuing to grow the game, “Seeing everything that we now have in the national team, that we fought so hard to get, makes me even more eager to lead the younger players because there is a lot of talent. So, I want to continue giving them the tools to develop and also to mould them into the next generation who will continue our fight for the level to keep going further. There is too much talent in Malta for it to be wasted.”
Charlene Zammit will return to action with defending champions Birkirkara as they continue their charge for a record thirteenth title in a match against Lija Athletic on Saturday 2nd November at Mgarr Ground (16:30). Indeed, not all battles – on and off the pitch – are yet won.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
Make sure to never miss an Assikura Women’s League match by syncing your calendar here.
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ X
1 Response
[…] “The Mind Pushes Beyond What Your Body Can Withstand” – Charlene Zammit On Reachin… […]