Andrei Agius

Andrei Agius
Personal information
Date of birth	12 August 1986 (age 37)
Place of birth	Pietà, Malta
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Central defender; defensive midfielder or right back
Team information
Current team	Hibernians
Number	20
Youth career
1995–1999	Santa Lucija
1999–2003	Sliema Wanderers
2003–2004	Zemun
Senior career*
Years	Team
2003	Sliema Wanderers
2004	Zemun
2004–2005	Atletico Catania
2005–2007	Messina
2006–2007	→ Martina (loan)
2007–2009	Igea Virtus
2009–2010	Cassino
2010–2011	Melfi
2011	→ Birkirkara (loan)
2011–2013	Latina
2013–2014	Torres
2014	→ Aprilia (loan)
2014–	Hibernians
International career‡
2005–2008	Malta U-21-23
2006–	Malta
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 August 2011; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 December 2011

Andrei Agius (born 12 August 1986) is a Maltese footballer who plays for Hibernians as a central defender.

Club career

Andrei Agius (born on August 12, 1986) is regarded as one of the leading defenders in the Maltese Premier League and a first-choice player for the national team.

Agius has turned out for a host of Italian clubs, including US Calcio Latina with whom he won the Coppa Italia for Lega Pro teams in season 2012–13, Messina, Melfi, Igea Virtus, Sassari Torres and Sporting Mascalucia.

After his long stint in Italian football, Maltese top-flight club Hibernians managed to lure Agius back to the local Premier League in the summer of 2014.

At Hibernians, Agius made a towering impact, establishing himself as a mainstay of their defence that played a pivotal role in the club’s march towards the Premier League title in season 2014–15.

Hibernians walked away with the title, scoring 97 goals and conceding only 24 in 33 games, the best defensive record in the championship.

Agius, along with Hibs team-mates Andrew Cohen, Clayton Failla, Rodolfo Soares, Luis Edison ‘Tarabai’ and goalkeeper Henry Bonello, was named in the Malta Football Players Association Team of the Year for season 2014–15.

Agius was also in the Hibs team that caused a shock by beating Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv 2–1 in the first leg of their 2015/16 Champions League second qualifying round tie at the Hibernians Stadium on 14 July 2015.

Skilful and good in the air, Agius has been a key player for the national team for much of the past 12 years.

The Hibernians defender has come up against a host of world-class strikers like Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Italy’s Graziano Pellè, Sebastian Giovinco and Giampaolo Pazzini, Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic, and Henrik Mkhitaryan, the Armenian playmaker who plays for Premier League club Manchester United.

Despite the difficulties a small nation like Malta encounter when playing against top European teams, Agius has been widely praised for his solid performances in the heart of defence, also holding his own against some of the world’s top strikers.

The Times of Malta match report of the Italy’s 2–0 win over Malta in a World Cup 2014 qualifier, played in Modena on September 11, 2012, said:

“All had done their part but the pick of the team were Roderick Briffa and Andre Schembri while central defenders Andrei Agius and Luke Dimech effected a series of vital interceptions”.

Early career

Born on August 12, 1986, Agius began his career with Santa Lucia, his hometown club, before joining the youth nursery of Sliema Wanderers, the most decorated club in Maltese football.

In July 2003, Agius was part of the Sliema Wanderers under-16 squad that participated in the Nikola Kotkov Tournament, organised by the Academy Lokomotiv 101.

On December 19, 2003, aged only 17, Agius, who started out as a midfielder, made his senior debut for Sliema Wanderers in a Premier League match against Floriana but his determination to pursue a professional career meant that, just weeks after his first senior appearance, the then teenage defender left for his first overseas challenge.

Zemun

Agius headed to Serbia to join first-division club FK Zemun on an initial six-month contract but played mostly for Zemun’s youth team, scoring two goals in the process.

In the summer of 2004, Agius moved to Italy after catching the eye of Sicilian club Sporting Mascalucia who offered him a contract.

In his first season with Sporting Mascalucia, Agius scored three goals and was voted as the most promising midfielder in the Italy’s regional championship.

Following another positive season with Mascalucia, Agius secured a contract with then Serie A club Messina where he became a regular in the reserve squad.

In his first season with Messina, Agius switched from midfield to defence.

In February 2006, Agius figured in the Torneo Mondiale di Calcio Coppa Carnevale and scored two goals, one against Pistoiese and the other against Torino.

In May 2006, Agius was among the Messina substitutes for the Serie A match against Empoli.

After his initial one-year spell with Messina, Agius was loaned to Serie C side FC Martina Franca during the August transfer window in 2006.

In season 2006–07, Agius faced intense competition for first-team places from experienced and seasoned players but still managed to make some appearances for Martina Franca in the Coppa Italia.

In season 2007–08, Agius moved to 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 Coppa Italia.

His performances with Virtus earned him a four-year contract with Messina in March 2008 but the following summer, financial difficulties forced the Serie B club to file for bankruptcy.

Agius was freed from his contractual obligations with the club and rejoined Igea Virtus where he was an automatic choice in their first team.

Later on in season 2009/10 season, Agius signed for Serie C team SS Cassino in a co-ownership deal with Salernitana.

In January 2010 Agius was loaned to AS Melfi, and eventually signed a two-year contract with the club.

A year later, it looked as though Agius was going to sign for Serie B side Triestina and also played for the team in a triangular tournament, but nothing came of it.

In January 2011, Agius joined Maltese Premier League club Birkirkara on a short-term loan deal.[2]

On August 31, 2011 Agius signed for Italian side US Latina Calcio and was part of the squad that won promotion to Serie B as well as winning the Coppa Italia for Lega Pro clubs in 2013.

US Latina’s promotion to the second division of Italian football led to a squad overhaul in the summer of 2013 and Agius opted to join Sardinian club Sassari Torres.

In the summer of 2014, Agius returned to Malta to join Hibernians, his hometown club.

Honours

2012–13: Promotion to Serie B with US Calcio Latina

2012–13: Lega Pro Coppa Italia with US Calcio Latina

2014–15: Premier League title with Hibernians

2015–16: Super Cup with Hibernians

International career

Agius earned his first call-up to Malta’s under-21 squad, then coached by Mark Miller, in August 2003 for a friendly match against Italy under-21.

Agius has represented Malta 37 times at under-21 level.

In 2005, he formed part of the Malta under-21 team that participated in the Mediterranean Games, held in Almeria Spain. In February 2006, Agius, then aged 19, was named in Malta’s senior squad for the biennial 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.

Agius has since played regularly for the Maltese national team under different coaches, namely Dusan Fitzel, John Buttigieg and Pietro Ghedin.

Career statistics

#	Country	Season	Club	League	Appearances	Goals
1.	Serbia	2004,	FK Zemun	Under 18	17	1
2.	Italy	2004–05,	FC Mascalucia	Eccelenza	26	6
3.	Italy	2005–06,	FC Messina	Primavera	28	2
4.	Italy	2006–07,	FC Martina Franca	C1	5	0
5.	Italy	2007–08,	FC Igea Virtus	C2	35	1
6.	Italy	2008–09,	FC Igea Virtus	C2	33	2
7.	Italy	2009–10,	SS Cassino Calcio	C2	10	0
8.	Italy	2010–11,	A.S Melfi	C2	17	0
9.	Italy	2011–11,	A.S Melfi	C2	14	0
10.	Malta	2011–11,	Birkirkara FC Malta	Premier League Malta	14	1
11.	Italy	2011–13,	Latina Calcio	C1	36	1
12.	Italy	2013–14,	Torres FC Calcio	C2	14	1
13.	Italy	2013–14,	Aprilia	C2	16	0
14.	Malta	2014–15,	Hibernians	Premier League Malta	33	4

National team appearances

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Half Time	Result	Competition
1.	25 February 2006	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Moldova	0–1	0–1	Coca Cola & Multiplus Int.
2.	6 June 2006	LTU Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany	Japan	0–0	1–0	Friendly
3.	19 October 2008	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Iceland	0–0	0–1	Friendly
4.	11 February 2009	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Albania	0–0	0–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	28 March 2009	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Denmark	0–3	0–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.	1 April 2009	Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	1–0	3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7.	5 June 2009	Chance Aréna, Jablonec, Czech Republic	Czech Republic	0–0	1–0	Friendly
8.	10 June 2009	Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Sweden	1–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
9.	12 August 2009	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Georgia	0–0	2–0	Friendly
10.	4 September 2009	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Cape Verde	0–2	0–2	Friendly
11.	18 November 2009	Kordin Stadium, Kordin, Malta	Bulgaria	1–1	1–4	Friendly
12.	3 March 2010	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Finland	1–0	1–2	Friendly
13.	13 May 2010	New Tivoli, Aachen, Germany	Germany	1–0	3–0	Friendly
14.	11 August 2010	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Macedonia	0–1	1–1	Friendly
15.	1 September 2010	Ramat Gan Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel	Israel	1–1	3–1	Euro 2012 Poland/Ukraine
16.	7 September 2010	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Latvia	0–1	0–2	Euro 2012 Poland/Ukraine
17.	8 October 2010	Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tblisi, Georgia	Georgia	0–0	1–0	Euro 2012 Poland/Ukraine
18.	9 February 2011	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Switzerland	0–0	0–0	Friendly
19.	26 March 2011	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Greece	0–0	0–1	Euro 2012 Poland/Ukraine
20.	4 June 2011	Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece	Greece	2–0	3–1	Euro 2012 Poland/Ukraine
21.	10 August 2011	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Central African Republic	2–1	2–1	Friendly
22.	2 September 2011	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Croatia	2–0	3–1	Euro 2012 Poland/Ukraine
23.	6 September 2011	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Georgia	1–1	1–1	Euro 2012 Poland/Ukraine
24.	7 October 2011	Stadionas Skonto, Riga, Latvia	Latvia	1–0	2–0	Euro 2012 Poland/Ukraine
25.	11 October 2011	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Israel	0–1	0–2	Euro 2012 Poland/Ukraine
26.	29 February 2012	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Liechtenstein	1–1	2–1	Friendly
27.	2 June 2012	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxemburg, Luxemburg	Luxemburg	0–1	0–2	Friendly
28.	14 August 2012	San Marino Stadium, San Marino, San Marino	San Marino	0–1	0–2	Friendly
29.	7 September 2012	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Armenia	0–1	0–1	Brazil 2014
30.	11 September 2012	Stadio Alberto Braglia, Modena, Italy	Italy	2–0	1–0	Brazil 2014
31.	12 October 2012	Doosan Arena, Plzeň, Czech Republic	Czech Republic	1–0	3–1	Brazil 2014
32.	14 November 2012	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	0–1	0–1	Friendly
33.	6 February 2013	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Northern Ireland	0–0	0–0	Friendly
34.	22 March 2013	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	3–0	6–0	Brazil 2014
35.	14 August 2013	Eighth Kilometer District Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan	1–0	3–0	Friendly
36.	6 September 2013	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Denmark	1–2	3–0	Brazil 2014
37.	10 September 2013	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Bulgaria	1–2	3–0	Brazil 2014
38.	11 October 2013	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Czech Republic	1–4	3–0	Brazil 2014
39.	15 October 2013	Parken Stadium, Denmark, Denmark	Denmark	6–0	3–0	Brazil 2014
40.	19 November 2013	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Faroe Islands	3–2	3–0	Friendly
41.	5 March 2014	Niko Dovana Stadium, Durrës, Albania	Albania	1–0	2–0	Friendly
42.	3 June 2014	Estadio Algarve, Algarve, Portugal	Gibraltar	0–0	1–0	Friendly
43.	4 September 2014	Stadion pod Dubnom, Zilina, Slovakia	Slovakia	0–0	1–0	Friendly
44.	9 September 2014	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	Croatia	1–0	2–0	Euro 2016
45.	10 October 2014	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Norway	0–2	0–3	Euro 2016
46.	13 October 2014	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Italy	0–1	0–1	Euros 2016
47.	16 November 2014	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	1–0	1–1	Euros 2016
48.	25 March 2015	Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia	Georgia	1–0	2–0	Friendly
49.	28 March 2015	Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan	1–0	2–0	Euro 2016
50.	08 June 2015	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Lithuania	0–0	2–0	Friendly
51.	12 June 2015	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	Bulgaria	0–0	0–1	Euro 2016

References

"Andrei Agius extends Messina contract". Times of Malta. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
"FIFA.com - FIFA Player Statistics: Andrei AGIUS". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
"Malta, August 2012–June 2014". FIFA. Retrieved 25 February 2016.

External links

Andrei Agius Blogspot