Artale Ġelardu

Artale Ġelardu

Ġelardu during the 1934–1935 season with Inter Montena
Personal information
Date of birth	(1914-08-24)24 August 1914
Place of birth	Perelocusta, Montcrabe
Date of death	21 August 1979(1979-08-21) (aged 64)
Place of death	Montcrabe City, Montcrabe
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in)
Playing position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1934–1950	Inter Montena	368	(251)
National team
1934–1948	Montcrabe	53	(33)
Teams managed
1960-1971	Montcrabe
1971-1974	CF San Miguel
1974-1979	Inter Montena
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Artale Ġelardu (24 August 1914 – 21 August 1979) was a Montcrabin football manager and player who played solely for Inter Montena and the Montcrabe national team, scoring 251 goals in 368 games for his club, and 33 goals in 53 games for the national team. Captain of both club and country, at club level, he led Inter to three Kompetizzjoni tal-Futbol tal-Principati titles (though now unofficial after the competition's change to the Crabliga A), and won the 1936 Terraconservan Cup with Montcrabe as the tournament's top goalscorer at just 22 years old. Internationally, Ġelardu also won the 1934 Copa Sur. Ġelardu is widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, as well as being regarded by some in the sport as Montcrabe's greatest ever player.

Following his retirement, he served as a coach for the Montcrabe national team for eleven years, before stepping back from his position to manage CF San Miguel in Creeperopolis. In 1974, Ġelardu was announced as manager of his liftime club, Inter Montena, leading his former team to a historic four Crabliga A league titles in a row, and a Coppa Crabe, before his passing whilst in the position.