André Schembri
Encyclopedia
André Schembri is a Maltese
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 footballer. He currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Greek club Panionios and the Maltese national team
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...

.

Hibernians

André Schembri began his playing career as a trainee with Hibernians
Hibernians F.C.
Hibernians F.C. is a Maltese football club hailing from the town of Paola, Malta. It is one of the top football teams in Malta. The club was founded in 1922, but football in Paola, Raħal Ġdid in Maltese, dates back to 1894. The team has a long successful story in its history. Hibernians has always...

 and made his debut during the 2002–03 season, where he made a total of seven appearances, but failed to score during the season, helping Hibernians to a fourth-place finish.

The following season, Schembri established himself as a first-team regular making 26 appearances and scoring five goals, with Hibernians finishing one place higher than the previous season, in third place.

With Schembri putting in some very impressive performances he began the 2004–05 season as hot property, exciting young prospect, and by the Christmas period he was snapped up by fellow Maltese Premier League
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons , is the top level league for football in Malta. The league was first competed in 1909...

 team Marsaxlokk
Marsaxlokk F.C.
Marsaxlokk Football Club is a Maltese football club from the town of Marsaxlokk, which currently plays in the Maltese Premier League. The club was founded in 1949...

, with Schembri making eleven appearances and scoring five goals during the half-season with Hibernians.

During his time with the Paolite club, Schembri made 44 appearances and scored ten goals.

Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk
Marsaxlokk F.C.
Marsaxlokk Football Club is a Maltese football club from the town of Marsaxlokk, which currently plays in the Maltese Premier League. The club was founded in 1949...

 signed Schembri during the January transfer window of 2005, along with another exciting young Maltese player, Cleavon Frendo
Cleavon Frendo
Cleavon Frendo is a professional footballer currently playing for Maltese Premier League side Valletta, where he plays as a Winger.-Valletta:...

 from Pietà Hotspurs, Schembri finished the 2004–05 making eight appearances for Marsaxlokk
Marsaxlokk F.C.
Marsaxlokk Football Club is a Maltese football club from the town of Marsaxlokk, which currently plays in the Maltese Premier League. The club was founded in 1949...

, scoring twice, with the club recording a fifth place finish.

In his first full season with Marsaxlokk, Schembri recorded 24 appearances and scored eleven goals as the club finishing in fourth place in the Premier League, with Schembri gaining his first cap for Malta's senior side
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...

.

The 2006–07 season was to be his best season on both personal and club-level, as besides scoring 11 goals in 19 appearances, Marsaxlokk won their first ever league title, earning himself his first honour in Maltese football.

Eintracht Braunschweig

Following a great season with Marsaxlokk, Schembri became the centre of interest from overseas European teams and eventually joined Regionalliga Nord
Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...

 side Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig is a German association football club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and won the national title in 1967.-History:...

 on a season-long loan.

During his season with the German side, André made 29 appearances and scored nine goals, and finished off another impressive season, with the club gaining promotion to the 3rd Liga
3rd Liga
The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...

, and finishing joint third in the club's top goalscoring charts.

Carl Zeiss Jena

On 30 June 2008, it was revealed that after spending last season with Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig is a German association football club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and won the national title in 1967.-History:...

, André Schembri would be joining Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Carl Zeiss Jena is a German association football club based in Jena, Thuringia.-History:The club was founded in May 1903 by workers at the Carl Zeiss AG optics factory as the company-sponsored Fussball-Club der Firma Carl Zeiss. The club underwent name changes in 1911 to Fussball Club Carl Zeiss...

 on a further season-long loan deal.

Ironically Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Carl Zeiss Jena is a German association football club based in Jena, Thuringia.-History:The club was founded in May 1903 by workers at the Carl Zeiss AG optics factory as the company-sponsored Fussball-Club der Firma Carl Zeiss. The club underwent name changes in 1911 to Fussball Club Carl Zeiss...

 played in the same division as Eintracht Braunschweig for the 2008–09 season, following the clubs relegation from the 2 Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...

.

Schembri made his debut for Carl Zeiss Jena on 26 July 2008 in the league match against Jahn Regensburg, André was introduced late on in the second half as an 84th minute substitute for Salvatore Amirante
Salvatore Amirante
Salvatore Amirante is an Italian footballer who currently plays forward for Savona.- Career :Amirante began his career in 1999 for the youth division of U.C. Sampdoria and after five years joined F.S. Sestrese Calcio 1919 where he played his first senior matches. After three years with F.S...

. The game finished in a 2–2 draw.

André scored his first goal for Carl Zeiss Jena on 13 December 2008, netting the opener in a 2-0 against Sandhausen
SV Sandhausen
SV Sandhausen is a German association football club that plays in Sandhausen, immediately to the south of Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg.-History:...

. On 9 August 2008, he scored the first goal in a 2–1 over Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...

 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. He followed this with another goal in the third round, this time in the 1–4 defeat to Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

 side Schalke
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...

 on 27 January 2009.

He ended his second season in Germany by making 32 appearances and scoring four goals, as Carl Zeiss Jena finished in a disappointing 16th place, narrowly missing out on back-to-back relegations.

SK Austria Kärnten

On 19 June 2009, André Schembri signed a two-year contract with Austrian Football Bundesliga side SK Austria Kärnten. He made his debut in the 1–3 defeat to Wiener Neustadt on 17 July 2009, and scored his first goal in the 2–3 away defeat against Kapfenberger SV
Kapfenberger SV
Kapfenberger SV is an Austrian association football club from Kapfenberg. In the 2007/08 Austrian Football First League season they became champion and advanced to Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1919 as Kapfenberger SC...

 on 26 July 2009.

Ferencváros

On 15 February 2010, Ferencvárosi unveiled Schembri as the clubs latest signing. André became the club's second Maltese signing in quick succession after compatriot Justin Haber
Justin Haber
Justin Haber is a Maltese footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Greek side Kerkyra F.C. and the Maltese national team.-Floriana:He started his football career at Floriana...

 joined the club from Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

. After a difficult start to his time in Hungary, in the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Nemzeti Bajnokság I
The 2010–11 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, also known as NB I, is the 112th season of top-tier football in Hungary. The league is officially named Monicomp Liga for sponsorship reasons. The season began on 30 July 2010 and will end on 27 May 2011...

 he came into the fore as one of the most important players for Fradi. On 26 September 2010, he scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...

 against Vasas
Vasas SC
Vasas SC is one of Hungary's major sports clubs. Most of its facilities are situated in Budapest's 13th district in the north of the town. Members of the Hungarian Union of Iron Workers founded the club as Vas-és Fémmunkások Sport Clubja, the "Sport Club of Iron and Steel Workers", on 16 March 1911...

 in the 3–1, therefore becoming the first Maltese footballer to score a hat-trick in a foreign top-tier league. Two months later, on 20 November 2010, he netted another hat-trick against Lombard-Pápa
Lombard-Pápa TFC
Lombard-Pápa TFC is a Hungarian football club from the town of Pápa.- Honours :* NB II Nyugat:** Runners-up: 2008–09* UEFA Intertoto Cup:** Second Round: 2005- Current squad :-Out on loan:- UEFA Intertoto Cup :...

 in the 5–0 away win. He ended the season as second-highest goal scorer in the league behind Andre Alves with 16 goals, as Ferencváros finished third gaining a place in the first qualifying round of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League
2011–12 UEFA Europa League
The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League is the third season of the competition since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and will end on 9 May 2012 with the final to be held at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania...

.

Olympiakos Volou

After his contract with Ferencváros expired at the end of the season, in July 2011, Schembri joined Olympiakos Volos
Ethnikos Olympiakos Volos F.C.
Olympiakos Volou Football Club , is a Greek football club based in the city of Volos. It is currently inactive and does not compete in any professional league, due to the 2011 match fixing scandal that caused the teams complete elimination.-History:...

 in the Superleague Greece. He made his debut for the club on 14 July 2011 as a substitute against Rad
FK Rad
FK Rad is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. It plays at Stadion Kralj Petar I, which is located in the southern part of the city's Banjica neighbourhood....

 in the second qualifying round of the Europa League. He scored his first goal in this competition, netting the opener in the 3–0 away win against Differdange
FC Differdange 03
Football Club Differdange 03 is a football club, based in Differdange, in south-western Luxembourg.-History:Differdange 03 was formed in 2003 as an amalgam of two clubs from the city of Differdange: FA Red Boys Differdange and AS Differdange...

 on 28 July 2011. Due to the ongoing match fixing scandal
Koriopolis
The Koriopolis is the name given by the Greek press for a match fixing scandal in Greek football that came to light in June 2011. The investigation centres around offences including illegal gambling, fraud, extortion and money laundering....

 involving the club, UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

 excluded the club from any European competition. On 23 August 2011, Olympiakos Volu were relegated to the fourth-tier of Greek football, the Delta Ethniki, along with Kavala.

Panionios

Following the release from his contract, Schembri joined another Greek Super League side, Panionios on 30 September 2011.

International career

Schembri gained his first cap for the Maltese national team in a friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...

 on 4 June 2006, a 1–0 away defeat to Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...

.

André scored his first and second international goals in the 2–1 home win over Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....

 on 11 October 2006 in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match, which ended Malta's 13-year wait for a competitive victory.

He scored his third goal for Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...

 in the same qualifying phase, giving Malta a temporary 2–1 lead over Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...

, although the match finished in a 2–2 draw.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 October 2006 Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 
2–1 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2 11 October 2006 Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 
2–1 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3 8 September 2007 Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 
2–2 Draw UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying

Club

Marsaxlokk
  • Maltese Premier League
    Maltese Premier League
    The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons , is the top level league for football in Malta. The league was first competed in 1909...

     (1): 2006–07

Personal life

André Schembri is the son of former Gżira United and Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...

 international striker Eric Schembri, and the grandson of former Sliema Wanderers
Sliema Wanderers F.C.
Sliema Wanderers Football Club are a Maltese football team from the town of Sliema, which currently plays in the Maltese Premier League.-History:The club was founded in 1909...

 and Malta international midfielder Salvinu Schembri
Salvinu Schembri
Salvinu Schembri was a professional footballer, during his career he played for Sliema Wanderers, Valletta and Ħamrun Spartans, where he played as a midfielder...

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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