Stephen Calleja
Malta Independent Daily

His name is Valeri Boijinov - a Bulgarian striker who is still to celebrate his 18th birthday, and who is now wanted by top Italian clubs.

That Boijinov, born in Bulgaria on 15 February 1986, had the talent to become a top player was seen from his early days. Pietа Hotspurs president Edward Schembri told The Malta Independent yesterday that he saw Boijinov play for the first time when he was still 13 years old and "I immediately realised that the boy had a bright future".

At the time, Boijinov was in Malta with his mother, who was accompanying Pietа Hotspurs defender Sasha Anguelov during his stint with the local club. Anguelov played one full season with the Hotspurs.

"Valeri was already well-built for his age and was well above average when compared to players of the same age category. In a few friendlies he played for Pietа at Under 14 level and scored about 30 goals," Mr Schembri recalls.

He brought over an Italian agent to see the player and Boijinov was immediately described as "one in a million" after the agent had seen him play for 15 minutes.

The player was sent for a one-week trial with Italian Serie C side Acireale, who wanted to keep him. But Mr Schembri brought him back to Malta, knowing that there were other clubs who would be interested in his services.

One of them was Serie A side Udinese, who also asked for the player to be sent on trial with them. The contact was established through Adelmo Paris, a former Bologna player who also played in Malta with Zurrieq FC.

But the choice was made for another Serie A club, Lecce, who took the boy in November 1999 and have brought him up to the standards he is now showing.

Mr Schembri said that, with him in the team, Lecce won the Under 14 national league, the Under 16 national league and the Primavera league for players under the age of 21. All were firsts for this club from the south of Italy. Needless to say, Boijinov scored many goals in the victories which led to the club's triumphs.

Two years ago, when Boijinov was still 15, he was wanted by Inter who offered Lm1 million for him. Today, his value has crept up and is expected to continue increasing, especially if he maintains his current standards.

Boijinov made his Serie A debut on 27 January 2002 - a few weeks before his 16th birthday - in a match Lecce lost 1-3 to Brescia. That season, he played in two games for Lecce, who were relegated. Last season, in the Serie B, Boijinov played 15 games, scoring two goals, and helped his side return to the top Italian division.

He has made 12 appearances for the club so far this season. He started the season on the bench, but he has now become a regular starter for Lecce, and has scored three times in their last two games.