# David Carabott

David Carabott (born 18 May 1968) is a former professional footballer who played for as a defender or midfielder. Born in Australia, he was capped 122 times for the Malta national team, making him second most capped player in Maltese football history.

## Club career

Carabott was born on 18 May 1968 in Melbourne, Australia, and his family moved to Malta at an early age. He joined local club Marsaxlokk in 1979 and made his first team debut in the Third Division match against Mellieħa in the 1981–82 season. He slowly became a regular fixture with the team, and in 1987 he joined Premier League side Hibernians. In 1993, with the arrival of new coach Brian Talbot, Hibernians soon transformed to a title-challenging side, winning two league titles in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 season. Carabott during this time established himself as one of the best wing-backs in the game.

## International career

Carabott made his first appearance for the Maltese senior team on 15 November 1987, a 1–1 draw against Switzerland. A year later, on 23 November 1988, he scored his first international goal, the opener in a 1–1 draw against Cyprus. In total he played 122 times for the national team and with 12 goals, Carabott was at one point one of the highest scorers. One of these was a goal in a friendly against England, played on 3 June 2000, which temporarily equalised the game, although England went on to score the winner later on. Carabott also had a chance to score a second equaliser late on when Malta were awarded another penalty, but this effort was saved by Richard Wright.

## Statistics
### International

Malta national team :
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1987 | 3 | 0 |
| 1988 | 11 | 1 |
| 1989 | 13 | 1 |
| 1990 | 8 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 3 | 0 |
| 1994 | 7 | 0 |
| 1995 | 7 | 1 |
| 1996 | 10 | 0 |
| 1997 | 7 | 0 |
| 1998 | 8 | 0 |
| 1999 | 10 | 4 |
| 2000 | 9 | 2 |
| 2001 | 8 | 2 |
| 2002 | 7 | 0 |
| 2003 | 7 | 1 |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 122 | 12 |
* 1 2 Includes matches against East Germany (played on 13 February 1988) and Belarus (played on 18 February 2004) which are considered as full international A matches by the Malta Football Association.
* ↑ Carabott's goal in the 2–1 defeat against England, played on 3 June 2000, is credited by some sources as an own goal from Richard Wright, however RSSSF and the Malta Football Association credit it to Carabott.
* "National Team All Time Results". Malta Football Association. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.

### International goals

    "Score" represents the score in the match after Carabott's goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 23 November 1988 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta | Cyprus | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 11 January 1989 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta | Israel | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 26 April 1995 | Dinamo Stadium (Minsk), Minsk, Belarus | Belarus | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualification |
| 4 | 27 January 1999 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 21 August 1999 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | Croatia | 1–2 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualification |
| 6 | 8 September 1999 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta | Republic of Ireland | 2–2 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualification |
| 7 | 15 December 1999 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta | Lebanon | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 20 January 2000 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta | Qatar | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 3 June 2000 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta | England | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 10 | 5 September 2001 | Na Stínadlech, Teplicec, Czech Republic | Czech Republic | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 14 November 2001 | Hibernians Ground, Paola, Malta | Canada | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 12 | 10 September 2003 | Antalya Atatürk Stadium, Antalya, Turkey | Israel | 2–1 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualification |