Retiring Dorianne Theuma sees bright future for women’s national team

It was not the fairytale ending she might have hoped for, but Dorianne Theuma’s farewell will forever remain an emotional moment in the Maltese game.

The former Malta captain retired from the Beautiful Game on her 118th appearance for the national team in Friday’s European qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina, in front of the home crowd.

With 26 goals to her name, Theuma remains the all-time leading scorer for the national team, albeit she would have hoped for a 27th to rescue at least a point against an opponent she has never managed to beat when donning the Malta colours.

In a similar fashion to previous encounters, Malta managed to be competitive against the Bosnian side but failed to reap the fruits from their performance.

In 2006, Theuma had converted a penalty which helped Malta clinch its first ever point in a qualifying campaign, in a 1-1 draw against the same Bosnia.

It was just her third year as part of the national team with Theuma never dreaming of joining the century club, let alone retire 18 years later.

“When you are young, you don’t really think about these moments,” she told the Times of Malta.

“However, the older you get, the more you realise that your career is nearing its end, and you start to relish every moment.

“It has been an amazing experience and I have no regrets, having seen the women’s game evolve throughout the years, and I hope it will continue to grow in the near future as well.”

Theuma was part of the Maltese selection that made its international debut in a 2003 European qualifier against Romania.

Since then, Theuma has been involved in almost every match, becoming the longest-serving player for the women’s team with 118 caps.

Theuma, who plays as a midfielder, is the only female to play over 100 games for Malta. Stephania Farrugia follows with 99 caps, Rachel Cuschieri with 97, Charlene Zammit with 96 and Ylenia Carabott with 94.

At club level, Theuma won every single competition including the women’s championship on 13 occasions, playing for Hibernians – with whom she made her debut in 1997, Mosta and Swieqi,

Theuma made 454 appearances in domestic competitions, a record, while scoring 412 goals, finishing as the league’s best scorer on seven occasions while topping the all-time women’s championship’s scoring charts.

She has also 12 appearances and one goal in the Women’s Champions League.

Theuma has also been named MFA Women’s Player of the Year for a record eight times in her career, with her recent award being in 2022.

Asked about the prospects of this national team, Theuma heaped praise on the players that form part of this current selection and is upbeat about the positive results that they can achieve.

“This is one of the youngest selections I have been part of, but it has a lot of gifted players, both young and experienced, that make this team very competitive,” Theuma said.

“This team has a good setup and a good staff, and the positive results reflect the progress that has been done so far.”

The former Malta captain now is expected to continue her coaching career, having already been involved with Birkirkara and Swieqi at youth level, while also managing Swieqi’s first team this season.