Braden Galea

1) Can you tell us something about yourself (your personal life, age, marital status, work/profession)? What are your favourite past‑times apart from football? What was your favourite holiday destination? What are three words that describe you?

I’m 32 years old, I live in Luqa, I have worked at Medirect Bank for the past six years and I am a certified public accountant, tax advisor and auditor, graduating from the University of Malta and the Malta Institute of Taxation. I am in a long-term relationship and when I am not watching football, I am passionate about travel, finance, photography, music and politics. My favourite holiday destination is China, which I visited with my girlfriend in 2018, visiting the cities of Harbin, Beijing and Yangshuo. Other destinations which are top of my list are Sofia, Seville, Porto and Edinburgh. Three words that describe me are: determined, loyal and honest.

2) How did you start supporting United? What is your best memory of United? How many times have you visited Old Trafford? Who is your favourite current player and club legend? If there was one thing you could change at United, what would it be? If you were Man Utd manager and had an unlimited budget, which player would you bring to United and why? Which team would you support if Man Utd did not exist?

I do not recall the point when I started supporting United, but it was after the 1999 treble and at a time when most of my friends in primary school were avid Juventus supporters. However, I was always an England supporter and naturally I was attracted to the best team in England and one of the best in the world, at the height of the golden era under the guidance of the great

Sir Alex. My best memory of United is actually quite recent as I attended the Carabao Cup Final against Newcastle at Wembley earlier this year. It was a case of second time lucky, as I had also attended the Wembley Final of the FA Cup in 2018 which we had lost by the score of 1-0. The atmosphere of Wembley is unforgettable, and it is with a heavy heart that in my opinion, it does not come close to the atmosphere at Old Trafford, which leaves much to be desired and it is something I would definitely change. I have been to Old Trafford seven times in total, but I must admit that I enjoyed the away experience significantly more when I watched United win away to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in 2017. My dream is to watch United beat Liverpool at Anfield. Two moments which remain etched in my memory while watching United from home are the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final penalty win against Chelsea, and the thrashing of Arsenal by the score of 8-2 on my birthday on the 28th August 2011.

My favourite current players is without doubt David De Gea, which in my opinion is a legendary goalkeeper who saved us a huge amount of points since the retirement of Sir Alex when times were challenging on the football field. My favourite club legend is the great Wayne Rooney, a player who I have admired ever since joining from Everton and scoring a debut hat-trick against Fenerbahce. If I had a rewind button, I would bring Erling Haaland to Old Trafford at all costs, but given the unlikelihood of this ever happening, I would bring Kylian Mbappe to Old Trafford if I had an unlimited budget – a hugely successful player who still has his best years ahead of him. If United did not exist, I have a soft spot for Inter and I think they would have been the team I would have followed.

3) What attracted you to join the Supporters’ Club? What made you contest the Committee election? Describe your role in the club. Why would you recommend a United supporter to join the world’s oldest Man Utd supporters’ club?

What attracted me to the Supporters’ Club was actually this publication, when club president Joseph Tedesco invited me to start contributing articles to the flagship magazine of the club. Since then I have gone from writing a quarterly article, to joining Committee through co-option thanks to Joseph Tedesco’s recommendation, and becoming the chief editor of this prestigious publication which is in its 50 th edition. Apart from Echoes, I am deputy secretary, doing translation and proofreading as well as deputising during meetings when the secretary is unavailable, and alongside the club secretary I am responsible for the club’s website, which was a project I drove forward for the club to have a responsive website through which members can follow the club and pay their membership much more easily than with the previous legacy unresponsive website. When one goes abroad representing the supporters’ club, one realizes how much the local supporters’ club is respected and held in high-regard by foreigners, as the oldest United club in the world. I had the opportunity alongside club president Joseph Tedesco, whom I admire greatly for his leadership skills that drive the club onwards and upwards, to represent the club in the branches conference in October 2022. The amazing atmosphere during matches at the club should attract all supporters of Manchester United to join the local supporters’ club and encourage their friends to join as well.