Personal information Full nameAndré SchembriDate of birth27 May 1986 (age 25)Place of birthPietà, MaltaHeight1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)Playing position Attacking midfielder Club information Current clubPanioniosNumber 40 Youth career Floriana Hibernians Senior career* YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†2002–2005Hibernians44(10)2005–2009Marsaxlokk51(24)2007–2008→ Eintracht Braunschweig (loan)29(9)2008–2009→ Carl Zeiss Jena (loan)32(4)2009–2010Austria Kärnten13(1)2010–2011Ferencváros36(16)2011Olympiakos Volou0[1](0)2011–Panionios18(5) National team‡ 2004–2006Malta U2113(4)2006–Malta40(3) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 January 2012.† Appearances (Goals).‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 8 October 2011
INTERVIEW WITH ANDRE' SCHEMBRI How are you Andre? do you think you are at your top right now?No I don't think so, there's always room for improvement. Since you were young you always wanted to play abroad and you have managed to do so with a lot of sacrifice. Can you go through what you have had to go through to make it abroad? As you just mentioned, SACRIFICE. If you are not able to sacrifice most of your special things in life for example family, country, life style etc you will never succeed abroad. For a striker goals scored boost the morale and I am sure you will always remember the brace against Hungary!For sure I will never forget that game vs Hungary as it was the stepping stone to try playing overseas. Lately it has been difficult to score with the national team but you still do your best to create goal scoring chances for other players including assists.Yes true. When Dusan Fitzel was coach I played as a main striker and had a lot of opportunities to score but now I play more as an attacking midfielder and chances are limited. The team also focuses more on Michael Mifsud as a striker as we know we can take advantage of his speed, so we try to feed him at all times. What comes to mind when you see the words South End Core?The fans who light the national stadium! What can you say about our qualifying group ahead.. each group is difficult but is there a team you are particularly looking forward tor?Every game is difficult for our national team but it's an honour to play against big nations. Obviously I look forward for the game against Italy as I am a fan of Italian Football. Andre you launched yourself in the Under 21 but quickly moved on to the National team. Do you think that this helped you mature more quickly as a player?Yes it did because I was playing with older and more experienced players and that helps you to mature faster than if you are playing with players your own age. What can you say to an aspiring local player willing to go the extra mile to play abroad even at a young age?Playing abroad will give you the most satisfaction you will ever experience as a Maltese player! Strong family backing is crucial for such a close knit society like ours. In your experience how important was that fact to help you move abroad and settle down easily in various countries?If I had no backing from my family I would never had done it abroad. Whenever I needed help they were always behind me and never discouraged me. Families play a big role in the life of a professional football player. What are your aims for the years to come? Have you set any personal goals you would like to reach especially with the national team?To reach the highest level possible. As regarding the national team I would like to experience positive results again like we had under Dusan Fitzel. Andre you are such a versatile player and with various clubs and with the national team you have played in various positions. Do you see this versatility as an advantage to you?It can be of an advantage because coaches can play you in every position but on the other hand it can be of a disadvantage because it is difficult concentrate on just one postion. To conclude, what is your message to all the Maltese fans?I would like to thank all the Maltese fans for their support.