Maltese starlet Lexine Farrugia joins Raiders Lija women’s team

Raiders Lija have launched their summer transfer market window with a major coup after signing young talent Lexine Farrugia from Birkirkara.

Farrugia, born in 2007, is considered as a highly promising talent in the Maltese women’s game and had already started to establish herself as a key player in Birkirkara’s first team before an injury cut her 2021/2022 campaign short.

During last season, Farrugia played eight games for Birkirkara and scored four goals including a hat-trick against second-place side Swieqi United.

Farrugia also played for Birkirkara’s youth teams with whom she won a number of domestic competitions as well and scored 25 goals between the U-15 championship and U-19 championship in the 2020/2021 season.

In joining Raiders Lija, she will be moving to a team that puts the development of young players as a chief priority. Led by coach Denis Guerra, Raiders have been growing from one season to another and in the last campaign, they have managed to secure some remarkable results.

They finished fourth with 31 points after 18 games which include a win and a draw against Swieqi together with a victory over Mġarr United too.

Farrugia’s signing will add more quality to a team that wants to prove that during the previous season they were not punching above their weight but laying the foundations for further growth.

“I am very excited to start this new adventure at Raiders Lija,” Farrugia told the Times of Malta.

“I feel that under coach Denis Guerra I can improve a lot.

Raiders Lija has been improving a lot in recent years and their fighting spirit is something that distinguishes them from other teams.”

Last season, Raiders Lija’s squad was composed of a number of Maltese talents that are also part of the national team setups including forward Leah Ayres. She joined the club from Mosta last summer and topped Raiders Lija’s scoring charts with 12 goals.

In addition to Ayres, the club could already bank on other important talents such as goalkeeper Giulia D’Antuono, midfielder Maya Lucia – scorer of five goals like Miriana Conti and winger Sarah Vella Barbieri. Club captain Monique Sultana is also a key player inside the team having also been named Player of the Month for December.

Farrugia will be another piece to Raiders Lija’s puzzle as they strive to become an even more competitive squad in the next season.

“Lexine Farrugia will bring more quality to the team,” coach Guerra said.

“She can also help us expose our project even more because other young talents will see Raiders Lija as a team that gives playing time to the youth ones.

“Ultimately, that was our aim when we launched this project three years ago. Our idea was to forge players that are ready for the national teams and also to play foreign football.

We love to work with young players and for example last year, we had players that played 45 matches between U-20 competitions, senior competitions and national team football. That means, the players have to be at their best during every training session and that is the only way players can improve.”

Despite her young age, Farrugia has already showcased her talent at the senior level and her skillset is expected to continue to flourish with further regular playing time at Raiders Lija under the guidance of Guerra.

“I am a very disciplined player and I am confident enough that I will integrate quickly with the rest of the team,” Farrugia said.

Photo: Raiders Lija FC.