Simon Tortell (8 August 1959 – 15 June 2012) was a Maltese

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. He was born in

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

Club career

Tortell was a striker who played for nine years with Sliema Wanderers, winning a league title and a FA Trophy medal with them. He scored in the 1979 FA Trophy Final against

Floriana Floriana ( or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a Floriana Lines, fortified town in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014 ...

. He retired at age 24 to graduate from Malta University and become a lawyer.

International career

Tortell made his debut for

in an October 1978 European Championship qualification match against

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. He earned a total of 5 caps, scoring 1 goal. His final international was the infamous December 1983 European Championship qualification defeat by

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, which Malta lost 1-12, ensuring that Spain qualified for Euro 1984 ahead of the Netherlands on goal difference.

Personal life

After retirement, Tortell became a successful lawyer and was partner at his own firm Simon Tortell & Associates. His father, Peter Tortell, also played for Sliema Wanderers in the 1950s. Simon Tortell died after a long illness on June 14, 2012, at age 52. He was married to Silvana Tortell and was father of three daughters.Former Malta player passes away
- Times of Malta

Honours

Floriana

Maltese Premier League The Maltese Premier League, known as 360Sports Malta Premier for sponsorship reasons with 360Sports (colloquialism, colloquially known as ''Il-Kampjonat Premjer''), is the highest level of professional football in Malta. Managed by the Malta Foot ...

: 1 :: 1976 *

Maltese FA Trophy The FA Trophy, currently known as the Meridianbet FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football (soccer), football cup competition that takes place in Malta. The cup was founded in 1933; following a match between England national footba ...

: 1 :: 1979

References

External links

Obituary
- Times of Malta {{DEFAULTSORT:Tortell, Simon 1959 births 2012 deaths Sportspeople from Sliema Men's association football forwards Maltese men's footballers Malta men's international footballers Sliema Wanderers F.C. players 20th-century Maltese lawyers 21st-century Maltese lawyers