André Schembri facts for kids
Schembri with Marsaxlokk in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 May 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Floriana, Malta | ||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Anagennisi Deryneia (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Floriana | |||
| Hibernians | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2005 | Hibernians | 44 | (10) |
| 2005–2009 | Marsaxlokk | 51 | (24) |
| 2007–2008 | → Eintracht Braunschweig (loan) | 29 | (9) |
| 2008–2009 | → Carl Zeiss Jena (loan) | 32 | (4) |
| 2009–2010 | Austria Kärnten | 13 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Ferencváros II | 3 | (3) |
| 2010–2011 | Ferencváros | 36 | (16) |
| 2011 | Olympiacos Volou | 0 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Panionios | 21 | (4) |
| 2012–2014 | Omonia | 58 | (24) |
| 2014 | FSV Frankfurt | 9 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Omonia | 45 | (19) |
| 2016–2017 | Boavista | 30 | (3) |
| 2017–2019 | Apollon Limassol | 57 | (10) |
| 2019–2020 | Chennaiyin | 18 | (5) |
| Total | 446 | (131) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2006 | Malta U21 | 13 | (4) |
| 2006–2018 | Malta | 94 | (3) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2024– | Anagennisi Deryneia | ||
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André Schembri (born 27 May 1986) is a famous Maltese former footballer. He played as a forward, scoring many goals for his teams. Today, he is the head coach of Anagennisi Deryneia.
Schembri started his football journey with local Maltese clubs like Hibernians and Marsaxlokk. He helped Marsaxlokk win their first-ever league title in the 2006–07 season. He then played for teams in Germany, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, and India. He was also a key player for the Malta national team.
Contents
André Schembri's Club Journey
André Schembri played for many different clubs during his career. He showed his skills in various countries, becoming a well-known Maltese player abroad.
Early Football Days in Malta
Schembri began his professional career with Hibernians in the 2002–03 season. He scored his first goal for them in August 2003. He also scored in a European competition match in 2004, helping Hibernians win.
In January 2005, he moved to Marsaxlokk. He quickly became an important player there. In the 2006–07 season, he scored 11 goals. This helped Marsaxlokk win their first-ever league championship, which was a huge achievement for the club.
Playing in Germany
In 2007, Schembri went on loan to Eintracht Braunschweig in Germany. He played in the third division and scored nine goals that season. One highlight was scoring three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against Energie Cottbus II.
The next year, in 2008, he joined Carl Zeiss Jena on another loan. He scored in the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) against big teams like 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Schalke. He helped Carl Zeiss Jena stay in the league.
Time in Hungary with Ferencváros
After his time in Germany, Schembri joined Ferencváros in Hungary in 2010. He quickly became a key player for their attack. In the 2010–11 season, he scored 16 goals.
He even scored two hat-tricks that season, becoming the first Maltese footballer to score three goals in a single game in a top-tier foreign league. Ferencváros finished third in the league, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.
Greek and Cypriot Adventures
In 2011, Schembri moved to Olympiacos Volou in Greece. However, the club faced problems and was moved to a lower league. This allowed Schembri to leave.
He then joined Panionios in Greece. He scored five goals for them during the 2011–12 season.
In August 2012, Schembri signed with Omonia in Cyprus. He became a strong forward for them. In his second season (2013–14), he scored 17 goals, making him the league's second-highest goalscorer.
After a short period with FSV Frankfurt in Germany, he returned to Omonia in December 2014. He continued to score important goals, helping Omonia reach the Cypriot Cup semi-finals and qualify for the Europa League.
Playing in Portugal and Return to Cyprus
In 2016, Schembri moved to Boavista in Portugal's top league. He scored his first goal in August. He even scored against famous club Benfica.
In 2017, he returned to Cyprus, joining Apollon Limassol. He quickly made a big impact. He scored four goals in six qualifying matches, helping Apollon reach the group stages of the UEFA Europa League. He also became the first Maltese player to score in the main rounds of a UEFA competition.
In August 2017, he won his first trophy outside Malta, the Cypriot Super Cup, scoring the winning goal for Apollon. He left Apollon in 2019.
Final Stop in India
On 27 August 2019, Schembri signed with Chennaiyin in the Indian Super League. He was the first Maltese player to play in India. He scored five goals and helped Chennaiyin reach the playoffs.
On 9 March 2020, André Schembri announced he was retiring from professional football. His last game was the Indian Super League final on 14 March.
André Schembri's International Career
André Schembri also played for the Malta national team for many years. He represented Malta at different youth levels before joining the senior team.
Senior Team Debut and Historic Goals
He made his debut for the senior Maltese team on 4 June 2006, in a friendly match against Japan.
His first goals for Malta were very special. On 11 October 2006, he scored twice in a UEFA Euro qualifier against Hungary. Malta won that match 2–1. This was Malta's first competitive win in 13 years! It was also their first home win in a competitive game in 31 years.
He scored his third international goal against Turkey in September 2007. That game ended in a 2–2 draw.
Captaincy and Retirement
Schembri captained Malta for the first time on 25 March 2015. He served as captain 16 times in total.
He sometimes spoke out about how Maltese football could improve. He wanted to see more progress, especially in youth football.
On 13 November 2018, Schembri announced he would retire from international football. He wanted to focus on his club career and give younger players a chance. His last game for Malta was on 20 November 2018, against the Faroe Islands. He finished with 94 appearances for his country.
André Schembri's Life After Playing
After retiring as a player, André Schembri continued his involvement in football. In June 2020, he became a youth coach for Apollon Limassol, coaching their under-15 team.
A year later, he was made the football director for the club. In June 2022, he went back to coaching, taking over the under-19 team. He also briefly helped as an assistant coach for the first team.
On 2 June 2024, he was appointed as the head coach of Anagennisi Deryneia, a club in the Cypriot Second Division.
Schembri also has a degree in sports science and holds a UEFA B coaching license.
How André Schembri Played
André Schembri was a very flexible player in attack. He could play in many different forward roles. He often played as an attacking midfielder, a second striker, or even a main striker. He could also play on the wings. This made him a valuable player for all his teams.
André Schembri's Personal Life
Football runs in André Schembri's family. His father, Eric Schembri, and his grandfather, Salvinu Schembri, were both famous footballers and played for Malta.
He married Clarissa Ellul, a television presenter, on 3 June 2016. In June 2018, he published his own book called André Schembri – 10 snin nilgħab fl-Ewropa (André Schembri – 10 years playing in Europe). It was the first book written by a Maltese footballer about his career.
Since 2017, Schembri and Apollon Limassol have supported Dr. Klown. This is a Maltese group that provides clown doctor services to children in hospitals.
Honours
Marsaxlokk
- Maltese Premier League: 2006–07
Apollon Limassol
- Cypriot Super Cup: 2017
Individual
- Malta's Sportsman of the Year: 2010
Images for kids
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André Schembri playing for Ferencváros
See Also
In Spanish: André Schembri para niños
