Luke Montebello (born 13 August 1995) is a Maltese professional footballer who plays as a
forward for Maltese Premier League side
Valletta F.C., and the
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team () represents Malta in men's international Association football, football and is controlled by the Malta Football Association, the governing body for football in Malta.
The first official game played by Malta ...
.
Club career
Having played his youth football for the
Birkirkara
Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara or BKR) is a city in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the Malta (island), island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous pari ...
nursery, Montebello joined
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
's youth sector in 2011. He had some success with the Italian youth side, before returning to Malta and signing with
Valletta
Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...
on a five-year contract.
Montebello was sent out on loan to
Żebbuġ Rangers for the second half of the
2014–15 season in a bid to help them avoid relegation.
In search of first team football, he joined
Tarxien Rainbows in summer 2015 on loan, scoring 12 goals in 31 matches in the
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as 360Sports Malta Premier for sponsorship reasons with 360Sports (colloquialism, colloquially known as ''Il-Kampjonat Premjer''), is the highest level of professional football in Malta. Managed by the Malta Foot ...
.
He was again sent out on loan for the
2016–17 season, this time to woodenspoonists
Pembroke Athleta. This was short-lived however, as he was called back to Valletta for the second half of the season, after he injured his shoulder in October. He underwent surgery which turned out to be successful, however he still needed 7 to 8 weeks of recovery.
In 2017, Montebello returned to his childhood club Birkirkara on a permanent deal.
In January 2018, Montebello was banned for match-fixing for one year. After the suspension, he returned to play for Birkirkara again.
In 2022, Montebello joined Ħamrun Spartans, where he would win the
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as 360Sports Malta Premier for sponsorship reasons with 360Sports (colloquialism, colloquially known as ''Il-Kampjonat Premjer''), is the highest level of professional football in Malta. Managed by the Malta Foot ...
in the 2022/23 season and would also win the subsequent
Maltese Super Cup. On the 18th of March 2025 Luke mutually parted ways with the club after an altercation with fans post Hamrun Spartan's 1-0 defeat to Sliema.
On the 14th of April 2025 it was announced that Luke would be returning to a club in the summer, where he had spent some time as a junior, in the shape of Valletta F.C., who themselves had just come off a season, which saw an instant return to the Maltese Premier league, after a one-year absence.
International career
Luke Montebello featured in the
Malta national under-17 football team and the
Malta national under-19 football team. He also featured in the
Malta national under-21 football team
The Malta national under-21 football team is the national under-21 association football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association.
The team is sponsored by Givova.
Competitive record
UEFA European Under-21 Championsh ...
under
Silvio Vella, making his debut on 5 September 2014.
Before an Under-21 match against
Czech Republic national under-21 football team
The Czech Republic national under-21 football team is the national under-21 association football team of the Czech Republic and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Cham ...
, allegedly Montebello was approached to throw the match for a sum of money; he allegedly did not accept and testified against the bribers in court.
He was first included provisionally in the senior side on 4 November 2015. He made his
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team () represents Malta in men's international Association football, football and is controlled by the Malta Football Association, the governing body for football in Malta.
The first official game played by Malta ...
debut under
Pietro Ghedin in a 1–3 defeat against Slovakia on 26 March 2017.
Style of play
With a tall and powerful physique, Montebello has been described as a target man.
Honours
Club
;Valletta
*
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as 360Sports Malta Premier for sponsorship reasons with 360Sports (colloquialism, colloquially known as ''Il-Kampjonat Premjer''), is the highest level of professional football in Malta. Managed by the Malta Foot ...
:
2013–14,
2015–16
*
Maltese FA Trophy
The FA Trophy, currently known as the Meridianbet FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football (soccer), football cup competition that takes place in Malta. The cup was founded in 1933; following a match between England national footba ...
:
2013–14
Ħamrun Spartans
*
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as 360Sports Malta Premier for sponsorship reasons with 360Sports (colloquialism, colloquially known as ''Il-Kampjonat Premjer''), is the highest level of professional football in Malta. Managed by the Malta Foot ...
:
2022–23,
2023–24
*
Maltese Super Cup: 2023
Individual
*
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as 360Sports Malta Premier for sponsorship reasons with 360Sports (colloquialism, colloquially known as ''Il-Kampjonat Premjer''), is the highest level of professional football in Malta. Managed by the Malta Foot ...
Top Goalscorer:
2023–24
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montebello, Luke
1995 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Pietà , Malta
Men's association football forwards
Maltese men's footballers
Maltese expatriate men's footballers
US Livorno 1915 players
Birkirkara F.C. players
Valletta F.C. players
Żebbuġ Rangers F.C. players
Tarxien Rainbows F.C. players
Pembroke Athleta F.C. players
Balzan F.C. players
Hamrun Spartans F.C. players
Malta men's international footballers
Maltese Premier League players
Maltese expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy