Andre Schembri: If you want to succeed, get out of your comfort zone

At 32, the Malta national football captain is not only one of Malta’s most loved footballers but also a main export, playing for Cypriot side Apollon Limassol. Coming from a family full of footballers, Schembri recently released his first autobiography

Andre Schembri
Andre Schembri

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Brush my teeth and have a shower.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Overthinking drains energy.

What do you never leave the house without?

Wallet and mobile phone.

Pick three words that describe yourself

Ambitious, perseverant, and resilient.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

Living alone for nine years in five different countries.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Chocolate.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

To never give up.

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?

Property.

What is one thing you wish you knew when you were younger?

How important nutrition is in football.

Who’s your inspiration?

My parents because they dedicated all their life for me.

What has been your biggest

challenge?

Living abroad on my own.

If you weren’t a footballer, what would you be doing?

I think I’d go into politics.

Do you believe in God?

Yes.

If you could have dinner with any

person, dead or alive, who would it be?

Johan Cruyff.

What’s your worst habit?

Overthinking.

What are you like when you’re drunk?

Loveable.

Who would you have play you in a film?

Álvaro Morte from Money Heist.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Ignorance.

What music would you have played at your funeral?

Andrea Bocelli’s ‘Con Te Partiro’.

What is your most treasured material possession?

My books.

What is your earliest memory?

Playing football with my dad.

When did you last cry?

During my sister’s wedding. I felt emotional.

Who would you most like to meet?

Pep Guardiola. I admire his football philosophy.

What’s your favourite food?

Pasta.

Who’s your favourite person on social media right now?

Gary Lineker.

If you could travel in time, where would you go?

The 1530s when Malta was ruled by the Order of Saint John.

What book are you reading right now?

Edward C. Banfield’s ‘The Moral Basis of a Backward Society’.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Exposing corruption.

What’s one thing you want to do before you die?

I’d like to coach the national team of Malta.

What music are you listening to at the moment?

Luciano Pavarotti.

In the shower or when you’re working out, what do you sing/listen to?

I don’t sing or listen to any music while I work out or in the shower.

Tell us...

If you could play for anyone in the world, what team would you choose?

If I could play for anyone, I’d choose to play for Associazione Sportiva Roma.

What has been the hardest part of living away from home for long periods?

Adapting to new environments and cultures. I’ve been living abroad for nine years now, and I’ve lived in five different countries.

What advice do you have for young players who seek to become international footballers?

If you want to succeed get out of your comfort zone.