André Schembri

André Schembri (born 27 May 1986) is a Maltese former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Schembri started his professional career with local clubs Hibernians and Marsaxlokk, leading the latter to their first league title in the 2006–07 season. Between the summers of 2007 and 2009 he spent season-long loans with German lower-tier clubs Eintracht Braunschweig and Carl Zeiss Jena. After a blighted six months with Austria Kärnten, he joined Hungarian side Ferencváros where he established himself as first choice ending the season as the club's top scorer with 17 goals in all competitions.

In the summer of 2011, Schembri joined Olympiacos Volou. However, after a few games the club was demoted to the fourth-tier of Greek football following a match-fixing scandal. Schembri then joined Panionios. After completing the 2011–12 season, Schembri was signed by Cypriot club Omonia. With them he slowly established himself in the forward line, finishing his second season as the league's second highest goalscorer with 17 goals. After a short stint with German club FSV Frankfurt, he returned to Omonia in December 2014.

With interest from foreign clubs, Portuguese side Boavista signed Schembri. Although initially making the first eleven, the arrival of a new manager midway through the season led to him being dropped to a substitute role. With lack of opportunities, Schembri returned to Cyprus, joining Apollon Limassol in the summer of 2017. He quickly became a prominent figure, scoring four goals in six qualifying matches as he helped the club make it through to the group stages of the UEFA Europa League. In this same competition he also became the first Maltese to score in the proper rounds of a UEFA competition. In August 2017, he won his first trophy outside his home country as Apollon Limassol triumphed in the Cypriot Super Cup, with Schembri also scoring the winning goal.

At the international level, he represented Malta at youth levels, before making his senior debut on 4 June 2006 against Japan. His first goals came in the historic 2–1 win over Hungary, scoring twice as Malta won their first competitive game in 13 years. Regarded as one of the best Maltese football exports, he amassed 94 appearances for the national team, the eighth-highest number of appearances at the time of his retirement in October 2018.

Club career

Early career

Schembri started out as a trainee with Hibernians making his first team debut in the 2002–03 season. The following season, he scored his first goal in the 2–1 win over Balzan Youths on 31 August 2003. He made his debut in a European competition on 19 June 2004, in the Intertoto Cup first round match against Slaven Belupo. Hibernians won the match 2–1 with Schembri scoring the winner. Midway through the 2004–05 season, there were disagreements between Schembri and the club, and with a possible transfer in sight Sliema Wanderers and Marsaxlokk became interested in his acquisition. In the end, Marsaxlokk finalised the transfer and Schembri joined the club on 29 January 2005. His first goal came in the 2–1 win over Msida Saint-Joseph played on 5 February. His first full season at the club ended with 11 goals to his name, a feat he repeated in the 2006–07 season as Marsaxlokk were crowned league champions for the first time. During the league-winning campaign, Schembri formed an attacking partnership with Daniel Bogdanović who between them scored 42 out of Marsaxlokk's 74 goals.

German stint

In the summer of 2007, with interest from foreign clubs including OFI Crete, Schembri joined Eintracht Braunschweig on a season-long loan. Playing in the Regionalliga Nord, the third-tier in German football, Schembri made his debut on 31 July in the 2–3 defeat against VfL Wolfsburg II, coming on as a second-half substitute for Lars Fuchs. His first goals came on the tenth matchday, scoring a hat-trick against Energie Cottbus II on 21 September in a 5–0 win. For the final league game of the season, Schembri was suspended by the club for selecting to play in a friendly match for the Maltese national team instead of the promotion decider against Borussia Dortmund II. He finished the season with nine goals, the last being against VfB Lübeck, ending as the club's third top-scorer for the season as Eintracht Braunschweig qualified to the newly-formed 3. Liga.

Schembri's stay in Germany was extended to a further year as in June 2008 he joined 3. Liga side Carl Zeiss Jena on another loan. His first game was on 26 July, when he came in as an 84th-minute substitute for Salvatore Amirante during a 2–2 draw against Jahn Regensburg in a league match. His first goal at the club arrived in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, scoring the opener in the 2–1 win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He found the net again in the round of 16 tie against Bundesliga side Schalke which ended in a 1–4 defeat. He finished the season by scoring two goals in the last two matchdays, including the equaliser against Sandhausen, which guaranteed Carl Zeiss Jena's stay in the 3. Liga.

After his contract expired with Marsaxlokk, Schembri joined Austria Kärnten on a two-year deal on 19 June 2009. Amid the club's financial problems and a disappointing start to the season which saw them sitting at the bottom of the table, Schembri was one of few players who was allowed to be released in January 2010. His only goal for the Austrian club came in a 2–3 defeat against Kapfenberger SV on 26 July.

Ferencváros

Ferencváros signed Schembri in February 2010, teaming up with compatriot Justin Haber who joined the Hungarian club from Sheffield United. He made his debut on 12 March in the 0–0 draw against Nyíregyháza Spartacus. He quickly became a key figure in Ferencváros' attack and was rewarded with a new contract at the end of the season. With the arrival of new manager László Prukner, Schembri was moved as the main forward for ''Fradi'' and rose to prominence during the 2010–11 season, scoring his first goal on 1 September in a 3–0 win over Győr. He scored his first hat-trick against Vasas in a 3–1 win, becoming the first Maltese footballer to score a hat-trick in a foreign top-tier league. Two months later, on 20 November, he netted another hat-trick against Lombard Pápa in the 5–0 away win. He added to his tally braces against MTK Budapest and Zalaegerszegi, to finish off the season as the club's highest goalscorer, and the league's second highest, with 16 goals. Ferencváros finished third as they qualified to the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, making a return to European football after a six-year absence.

Olympiakos Volou

Schembri's contract with Ferencváros ended at the end of the 2010–11 season, and despite concrete interest from Serie A side Chievo, he joined Olympiacos Volou on 7 July 2011. He made his debut a week later, on 14 July, as a last-minute substitute against Rad in the second qualifying round of the Europa League, scoring his first goal for the club in the third qualifying round match played on 28 July, a 3–0 win over Differdange. On the same day, the Greek Super League's disciplinary committee announced the demotion of Olympiakos Volou and Kavala to the Beta Ethniki, the second tier in Greek football, for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal. As the club failed to obtain a license, they were relegated to the Delta Ethniki, the fourth tier in Greek football, as well as being excluded from the current Europa League campaign and given a three-year ban from any European competition by UEFA. As a result of this, the Greek Federation allowed the rescinding of players' contracts and to join other clubs outside of the transfer window.

Panionios

Following the rescinding of his contract with Olympiakos Volou and his preference to stay in Greece, Schembri joined Panionios, signing a one-year contract on 30 September 2011. He made his debut in the sixth league matchday on 16 October, in the 0–0 draw against PAS Giannina, scoring his first goal in the 1–2 defeat against Atromitos on 29 October. In the match against Aris on 27 November, he scored once and assisted on the winning goal in the 2–1 win, being praised by the media for his performance. At the end of the season, which he concluded with five goals to his name, Panionios and Schembri failed to reach an agreement on his salary and the contract was not renewed.

Omonia

On 20 August 2012, Cypriot club Omonia signed Schembri on a two-year deal. Before signing for Omonia there was interest from Sampdoria which were ready to make a deal had they not won promotion to Serie A. The first game played was the home win over Ayia Napa on 2 September, scoring on his first start for the club against Enosis on 27 October in a 2–0 win. He ended the season scoring eight goals as Omonia finished third and gained access to the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round. The following season, despite the early exit from the UEFA competition, Schembri further solidified his place and scored his first goal of the season and assisted the third goal in the 4–0 win over Enosis on 14 September 2013. He wrapped up the first round of the championship with 11 goals, including braces against Doxa and Anorthosis Famagusta, as Omonia qualified to the Championship round. With six additional goals in this round, Schembri took his season tally to 17 goals, ending as the league's second highest goalscorer.

During the summer of 2014, with the chance of joining a higher-level league, Schembri joined 2. Bundesliga side FSV Frankfurt. His return in Germany and teaming up with Benno Möhlmann, his former head coach at Eintracht Braunschweig, proved to be a disappointing one as it lasted only six months. With lack of space in the first eleven and a single goal against Hoffenheim in the DFB-Pokal, Schembri rescinded his contract in December. In the same month he agreed to re-join Omonia on an 18-month contract.

In the first game back with Omonia he scored a goal in the 2–0 win over Ethnikos Achna on 10 January 2015. He was instrumental in leading Omonia to the semi-finals of the Cypriot Cup, scoring six goals in six appearances including a hat-trick against Karmiotissa. Omonia qualified to compete in the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round and on 9 July, Schembri scored the winner against Dinamo Batumi which gave Omonia access to the successive round. His goals contribution alongside that of striker Cillian Sheridan helped Omonia push to the top of the table, with Schembri being employed most of the time as the only forward. He finished the league season with 15 goals, although Omonia lost the Cypriot Cup final against Apollon Limassol.

Boavista

With Schembri's contract coming up at the end of the season, talks between the two parties for an extension were held mid-season amid interest from other Cypriot and Asian clubs. In the end, on 16 June 2016, Primeira Liga club Boavista officially announced Schembri's transfer. In an interview with newspaper '' Record'', Schembri described how he refused other offers with higher salaries in order to fulfill his desire to move to a better league. He made his debut in the opening day of the 2016–17 season in the 2–0 win over Arouca, before being replaced by Diogo Caldas. Schembri scored his first goal, the opener, in the 2–2 draw against Chaves played on 28 August. During the first half of the season he was a mainstay in Boavista's starting eleven under both Erwin Sánchez

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