Alfred Effiong

Alfred Effiong (born 29 November 1984) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Maltese club Marsaxlokk. Born in Nigeria, he plays for the Malta national team.

Club career On 28 June 2011, Effiong scored on his European debut for Valletta, netting the second in a 3–0 away win over Sammarinese club Tre Fiori in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round first leg.

International career

Born in Nigeria, Effiong moved to Malta in 2005 and married a local in 2010. In 2014, his club president, Redeno Apap, asked if he would apply for a Maltese passport, which was granted in March 2015.

Later that month, national coach Pietro Ghedin was searching for a new striker after the suspension of Michael Mifsud. On 8 June, he came on for Andrew Cohen in the 60th minute of a home friendly against Lithuania, and 20 minutes later scored his first international goal to seal a 2–0 victory. He scored his second national goal in a 1–1 draw against Estonia in August 2016. His third goal came from a header against Scotland in Malta's 5–1 home defeat in a World Cup qualifier on 4 September 2016.

International goals Scores and results list Malta's goal tally first.

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition 1. 8 June 2015 Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard, Malta 2–0 2–0 Friendly 2. 6 September 2015 Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard, Malta 2–1 2–2 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification 3. 31 August 2016 Pärnu Rannastaadion, Pärnu, Estonia 1–1 1–1 Friendly 4. 4 September 2016 Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard, Malta 1–1 1–5 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Valletta Maltese Premier League: 2011–12 Maltese Super Cup: 2011 Balzan FA Trophy winner in May 2019