Andre Schembri is determined to end his national team career on a high as the 32-year-old faces Kosovo in his penultimate match with the national team after earlier this week he announced that he will retire from international duty after Tuesday’s match against the Faroe Islands.
The Apollon Limassol striker, who has made 92 appearances for the national team, said that he has never seen the national team so prepared for a competitive match and is confident that the team could add to their point tally.
“I can’t think of another occasion when the national team was so prepared for an international match,” Schembri said.
“All the players in the group are focused on the match against Kosovo and we firmly believe that we can take something from these two matches.
“Personally I have added motivation to help the team finish the UEFA Nations League on a high as these will be my last matches with the Malta shirt and would like to end on a positive note.”
Upcoming talent
Schembri said that he feels that this is the right time for him to retire from the national team and says that he wants to make way for a group of young players who are knocking on the door of international football.
“To represent my country for the last 20 years has been a great honour, but now I feel the time is right to bring to an end my international career,” Schembri said.
“I’m 32 years old and I would like to spend another two three years playing abroad and leave room for a bunch of young players who I firmly believe that represent the future of Maltese football.
“I think the only way for the national team to be more competitive is that we have more players that play abroad and their best chance to attract interest is by representing the country at senior level.
“So I believe it’s time to let players such as Kyrian Nwoko, Jurgen Degabriele, Jake Grech and even Jean Paul Farrugia to try and take centre stage so they hopefully will pursue their career away from our shores.”
Meanwhile, Malta striker Andre Schembri used his Instagram account to thank Malta national team director Ivan Vella for his support throughout the years.
Posting a picture on his Instagram account with Ivan Vella, Schembri wrote: "Thank you for all your support throughout the years."