Salvinu Schembri (19 October 1923 – 15 December 2008) was a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a inside forward for Sliema Wanderers,

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

and Ħamrun Spartans. He also played in full international matches for the Malta national team.

Club career

Schembri joined Sliema Wanderers in 1943 where he spent two seasons. Schembri joined

for the 1945–46 season. With Valletta he won the Maltese Premier League twice and between 1945 and 1948. In January 1947, in a tribute match between MFA XI and Yugoslav club Zaboversky played in his honour, Schembri sustained a serious injury. The injury kept him out of action for three months, after which he returned for an important league match against rivals Ħamrun Spartans on 11 May. He scored the decisive goal to win the match for Valletta. In 1953, Schembri returned to former club Sliema Wanderers. In his second, seven-year spell at the club, he contributed to three championships, a Maltese FA Trophy, a Cassar Cup and two Scicluna Cups. Schembri played one season with Ħamrun Spartans before retiring in 1961 due to a knee injury.

International career

Schembri made 35 appearances for the MFA XI. On 24 February 1957, he captained the Malta national team in its first official international match against

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

which ended in 3–2 loss. He earned two further caps.

Style of play

An inside forward, Schembri was known for his positioning and awareness, passing and goal-scoring ability.

Personal life

Schembri is the father of former

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

international

striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...

Eric Schembri Eric Schembri (born 30 April 1955) was a professional footballer who played as a striker for Gżira United and Sliema Wanderers. He also played in full international matches for the Malta national team, including a UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying m ...

and the grandfather of former Malta international

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

André Schembri André Schembri (born 27 May 1986) is a Maltese former professional footballer who played as a forward, and is currently a director of football of Apollon Limassol. Schembri started his professional career with local clubs Hibernians and Mars ...

. He was inducted into the Maltese Olympic Committee's Hall of Fame in 2004. Schembri died on 15 December 2008 at Mater Dei Hospital in Msida, at the age of 85. His funeral was held two days later on 17 December 2008.

Honours

Valletta * Maltese Premier League: 1945, 1947 Army & RAF * Cassar Cup: 1950 Sliema Wanderers * Maltese Premier League: 1953, 1955, 1956 * Maltese FA Trophy: 1955 * Cassar Cup: 1956 * Scicluna Cup: 1955, 1957 Malta XI * Victory Cup: 1945 Individual * Maltese Premier League top scorer: 1948 – 14 goals

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schembri, Salvinu 1923 births 2008 deaths Maltese footballers Association football forwards Malta international footballers Sliema Wanderers F.C. players Valletta F.C. players Ħamrun Spartans F.C. players Schembri family