Orlando Pride announced that they have transferred Malta international forward Haley Bugeja to Italian Serie A side Inter Milan for an agreed upon fee.
Bugeja had joined the Pride in July 2022, making six appearances during her stay.
“Haley has demonstrated maturity and professionalism well beyond her years while here in Orlando and we value having had her as a member of our Orlando Pride family,” Club VP of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said. “It was important for us to do right by her and help identify an opportunity where she could earn more game time and continue her development on and off the pitch. We wish her the best of luck in this next chapter of her career.”
“I would like to thank the Orlando Pride and the fans for a wonderful year in this city and on this team. I have grown so much as a player and as a person,” Bugeja said. “I would also like to thank the Club for the work they have done to help me, not only while here as a player, but also in setting up this next move for my career. I will always be a fan of this team!”
Haley Bugeja played for the Mgarr United senior side in seasons 2018/19 and 2019/20. She was voted MFA Player of the Year and Under-19 Player of the Year in 2018/19, apart from ending as top scorer in both the Women’s League and the Women’s Under-19 League with 19 goals and 41 goals respectively. In season 2019/20, she helped Mgarr United finish second in the Women’s League and champions in the Women’s Under-19 League. She finished as top scorer in the Women’s Under-19 League with 50 goals, scoring also 23 goals in the Women’s League.
Bugeja moved to Sassuolo in summer 2020, making her debut in Sassuolo’s 3-1 win over Napoli, scoring twice. She scored 12 goals over the course of her first season, finishing as a top five scorer in Serie A. She was voted Best Young Player in the Serie A and was also named as one of UEFA’s top 10 women’s players to watch. Bugeja’s 2021-22 season with Sassuolo was impacted by injury but still managed to score three goals for her side.