Hugh Caruana, former player for Gzira, Floriana and Sliema, and a regular TV pundit in the last years, died on Friday.

He was 78.

Caruana made his debut for Gzira, aged 16, in 1962. He signed for Floriana two years later and moved to arch-rivals Sliema in 1970 after six great seasons with the Greens, with whom he won two leagues and two trophies.

With Sliema, he won the league again, twice three years before retiring and taking up coaching.

In the past years, he was a regular on the TV sports show Replay on Net TV.

For a time he was also a local councillor in Gzira.

In a post on Facebook, the council said it is deeply saddened by his passing, saying that his dedication to the community will always be remembered.

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech also paid tribute to Caruana, saying that he was a man who loved his country.

Floriana FC, one of his former clubs, described him as one of the greats of football.

Sliema WFC said he will be remembered as an assistant coach who led the club to success in the early 2000s.