Chennaiyin FC have secured the signature of Maltese centre forward André Schembri to fortify their offensive roster heading into Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20. The 33-year-old joins the two-time Hero ISL champions on a free transfer after a stint with Cypriot-based club Apollon Limassol.

Schembri began his professional career at Malta, plying his trade for teams like Hibernians and Marsaxlokk. His first stint abroad came in 2006 during a loan spell with German side Eintracht Braunschweig. Since then, the striker has enjoyed productive spells in various countries like Greece, Austria, Hungary and Cyprus.

In 2016, Schembri joined Portuguese Primeira Liga side Boavista in 2016 and played 32 matches across all competitions that season, scoring four goals and providing three assists. Next season, he returned to Cyprus to play for Limassol and propelled the team to the UEFA Europa League, scoring four times in the qualifying rounds. He also played all of his team's six matches in the group stages that campaign, finding the back of the net once in an away game against Serie A side Atalanta. The 2018-19 campaign saw him take the field 38 times, raking in five goals.

On the international stage, Schembri has turned out for the Maltese national team 94 times since making his debut against Japan back in 2006 and features amongst the top 10 most capped Maltese players.

"It is an honour to sign for Chennaiyin and become the first Maltese footballer to play for the club and in the Hero ISL. Malta is very close to Italy and I know a lot about Chennaiyin because of its rich history involving Italians (Marco Materazzi, Alessandro Nesta and others).  I hope this is the best year of my career as all of us at the club have set out to achieve the target of winning the Hero ISL title. My aim is to bring my experience to the fray and also help the youngsters with that and my leadership skills. I am a team player and I am elated to be part of the Chennaiyin family," he said post formalizing the deal.

Chennaiyin head coach John Gregory shared his thoughts on Chennaiyin's sixth signing of the summer and said, "Andre (Schembri) is a seasoned professional who has been among the flag-bearers of Maltese football over the years. His goal-scoring ability, versatility and leadership skills will be a huge asset in our pursuit of the Hero ISL title. He has been prolific in front of goal throughout his career, and I am sure he will continue to find the mark in Chennaiyin colours. Andre is another example of someone who will fight for the badge and inspire those around him. I am really excited about how things are shaping up as we count down to pre-season."

Chennaiyin begin their Hero ISL 2019-20 campaign with a tough away fixture against FC Goa on October 23.