Michael Mifsud describes his time at Kaiserslautern as a crucial phase in his development to become a professional player.

On Tuesday, the Malta striker had the opportunity to rekindle his memories of his time in Germany when he paid a visit to his former club Kaiserslautern who are currently in Malta for a short training camp and will be playing a friendly match against Slovenian side NK Bravo the National Stadium on Wednesday at 4pm.

Mifsud arrived at Kaiserslautern at the age of 20 and was initially included in the club’s second team.

However, his undoubted talent immediately came to the fore and it was not long before the club’s senior side used him in the German Bundesliga.

During his three-year stint in Germany, Mifsud managed to collect 21 appearances for Kaiserslautern, scoring two goals.

On the other hand, he made 47 appearances with Kaiserslautern II, scoring 27 goals.

“Today it’s a very emotional day for me,” Mifsud told the Times of Malta.

“Kaiserslautern hold a special place in my heart, and I will never forget my time with them in Germany.

“Today, it’s even more special as I had the opportunity to see my former team but more importantly having the chance to meet a couple of former team-mates who are still active in the club and that is something really special.”

Mifsud was referring to club CEO Thomas Hengen and club coach Markus Anfag, who formed part of the Kaiserslautern squad during Mifsud’s tenure.

Mifsud, Malta’s all-time leading scorer with 42 goals in 143 appearances, said that his spell at Kaiserslautern was a great learning curve for him.

“For me, it was a dream come true to go and play with a huge club like Kaiserslautern,” said Mifsud.

“I learned a lot from several players with tremendous experience like Thomas and Markus. I feel that during my time there I improved a lot in all aspects of the game not just from a technical and physical level but also became a more disciplined player.

“When I left the club, no doubt, I was a much more complete player and ready to take the next step in my career.”

Hengen said that when Mifsud arrived at Kaiserslautern, he was a shy young player who enjoyed life. However, his hunger to succeed was key to his career success.

“When Michael Mifsud arrived at Kaiserslautern he was a young player who was very shy,” Hengen said.

“We saw straight away that he was a special talent and was too good to play for our second team and it was natural that he played for the first team.

Michael Mifsud (left) with Kaiserslautern head coach Markus Anfag. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

“At first he was a player who enjoyed life but had great hunger to succeed. This determination to always succeed helped him to take one step at a time and continue to improve as a player.

“Unfortunately, he could not make the next step at Kaiserslautern given the high level of the championship, but I was not surprised that he did reach the next level in terms of development at other clubs like Lillestroem and Coventry City.”

As we approached the end of our chat, I asked Mifsud what his message to other youngsters was who are dreaming of emulating his career and go and pursue a career abroad.

“My message is simple – just follow your dreams. Be ready to make sacrifices, as you need to make a lot of sacrifices, and work very hard and with persistence you will succeed,” Mifsud concluded.