Josie Urpani
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Urpani | ||
| Date of birth | 12 October 1936 | ||
| Place of birth | St. Julian's, Malta | ||
| Date of death | 19 January 2020 (aged 83) | ||
| Place of death | Malta | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Floriana Colts | |||
| –1952 | Mosta Athletic | ||
| 1952–1954 | Valletta | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1954–1968 | Valletta | 150+ | (56) |
| International career | |||
| 1958–1966 | Malta | 7 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1970–1972 | Valletta | ||
| 1975–1976 | Valletta | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joseph Urpani (12 October 1936 – 19 January 2020) was a Maltese footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Club career
[edit]Urpani played youth football for Floriana Colts and Mosta Athletic, before joining the academy of Valletta in 1952.[1] He made his Maltese First Division debut for the club at the age of 18 on 28 November 1954, during a 2–0 win against Birkirkara.[2] He made over 150 appearances for Valletta in the First Division, scoring 56 goals, and an additional 7 goals in 23 appearances in other competitions.[2] Additionally, he finished as the First Division's second-highest goalscorer in the 1963–64 season with 10 goals, only one goal behind teammate and top scorer Alfred Borg.[1]
He is considered one of Valletta's best players from the 1960s, winning three league titles, two Maltese FA Trophy, a Cassar Cup, and a Scicluna Cup with the club.[2]
International career
[edit]Urpani made his debut for the Malta national team in January 1958, during a 3–0 win against a Denmark XI, which was the national team's largest win at the time.[3] In total, he made seven appearances for the national team, scoring once in a 3–1 defeat to Denmark in the 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying preliminary round.
At international level, Urpani made his bow for Malta in the 3-0 friendly win against Denmark XI on January 25, 1958, becoming the second Valletta FC player, together with Jackie Grech, to don the Malta shirt after Joe Cilia.
Managerial career
[edit]Following his retirement, he had two stints as the manager of Valletta from 1970 to 1972, and from 1975 to 1976.[4]
Death
[edit]Urpani died on 19 January 2020, at the age of 83.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Josie Urpani". Valletta FC. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Former Valletta FC and Malta midfielder Urpani dies". Times of Malta. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
- ↑ "Malta vs Denmark* international football match report". eu-football.info. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ "Josie Urpani: Career, Stats & Clubs". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
External links
[edit]- Josie Urpani at National-Football-Teams.com
- Josie Urpani at WorldFootball.net
- Josie Urpani at EU-Football.info (archived)