Andrei Agius

Andrei Agius

Personal information
Full name	Andrei Agius
Height	18.23 m (59 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Central Defender
Team information
Current team	Igea Virtus Messina
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 10 2008)

Andrei Agius (born August 12, 1986 in Malta) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder. He is currently contracted to Italian side F.C. Messina Peloro.

Career

Andrei Agius, born August 11, 1986, is a Maltese player currently engaged with Italian Serie C2 club Igea Virtus. Agius started his career with Santa Lucia, his hometown club, but it was not long before his talent caught the eye of Sliema Wanderers, one of the leading clubs on the Maltese islands.

In July 2003, Agius was part of the Sliema U-16 team that participated in the Nikola Kotkov Tournament, organised by the Academy Lokomotiv 101 The promising Agius left a very positive impression and was voted as the tournament’s best midfielder. This pleasant experience strengthened Agius’s resolve to achieve his dream of a professional career in football with a foreign-based club

Agius continued to improve himself as a player and his progress was such that on December 19, 2003, he made his senior debut for Sliema in a Premier League match against rivals Floriana.

Agius’s prospects of breaking into Sliema’s first team looked bright but the youngster was adamant on pursuing his career overseas.

Within a few weeks of making his maiden appearance for Sliema, Agius left the comfort of domestic football for his first overseas challenge. At the tender age of 16, Agius joined Serbian first-division club FC Zemun. Agius was given a six-month contract to play for Zemun’s youth team, scoring two goals in the process. During his short but successful spell in Serbian football, Agius was nicknamed the ‘Maltese Falcon’ for his agility and tactical awareness. That summer, Agius was on the move again, this time to Italy where Sicilian club Sporting Mascalucia, who play in the Italian Football League Eccellenza, had agreed to sign him. In his first season with Sporting Mascalucia, Agius scored three goals and was named as the most promising midfielder in the regiomal league. After another positive campaign with FC Mascalucia, in the summer of 2005 Agius secured a contract with then Italian Serie A club Messina where he became a member of their youth squad. In his first year with Messina, Agius was converted into a defender by the club’s youth coach Sanderra who felt that the Maltese youngster had all the attributes needed to make the grade as a centre-half. In February 2006, Agius took part in the 58th Torneo Mondiale di Calcio Coppa Carnevale and scored two goals, one against Pistioiese and the other against Torino. In May 2006, Agius was among the Messina substitutes for the Seria A match against Empoli. After his initial one-year spell with Messina, Agius was loaned to Serie C1 side FC Martina Franca on the last day of the 2006 August transfer window. During season 2006/7, Agius faced intense competition for first-team places from experienced and seasoned players but still managed five appearances for FC Martina Franca in the Coppia Italia. Season 2007/08 saw Agius make a return to Seria C2 where he linked up with FC Igea Virtus (Messina), regarded as the second team of Messina Calcio. In his first season with Igea Virtus, Agius played 34 league matches and one in the Coppia Italia. Nicknamed ‘Il cavaliere Di Malta’ (The knight of Malta) by the Italian football reporters, Agius was offered a long-term contract by Messina. In March last year, Agius signed a four-year deal with Messina but last summer, financial difficulties forced the Serie B club to file for bankruptcy Agius was freed from his contractual obligations with the club and subsequently rejoined Igea Virtus where he has been an automatic choice in their first team. His elegant displays in the heart of defence have not only earned Agius a recall to the Maltese national squad but also prompted interest from other Italian clubs in higher divisions.

International career Agius received his first call-up to Malta’s U-21 squad, then coached by Mark Miller, in August 2003 for a friendly match against Italy U-21. Agius has represented Malta 35 times at U- 21 level. In 2005, he formed part of the Malta U-21 team that participated in the Mediterranean Games, held in Almeria Spain. In February 2006, Agius, aged 19, was named in Malta’s senior squad for the biennial Malta Malta International Football Tournament. The other participating nations were Georgia and Moldova. On June 4, 2006 Agius played for Malta in a pre-World Cup friendly against Japan in Duesseldorf. For much of the past two years, Agius continued to play regularly for the Malta U-21 side in UEFA competitions. Last November, Malta coach Dusan Fitzel recalled Agius for the friendly international against Iceland. Agius marked his return to international football with a polished display in the heart of Malta’s defence during the World Cup Qualifiers match against Albania Denmark and Hungary.