Jake Grech (born 18 November 1997) is a Maltese professional footballer currently playing with Hibernians in the Maltese Premier League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jake Grech | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-11-18) 18 November 1997 (age 24) | ||
| Place of birth | Pieta, Malta | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Hibernians | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2013 | Hamrun Spartans | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2017 | Hamrun Spartans | 32 | (12) |
| 2017–2019 | Birkirkara | 46 | (16) |
| 2019– | Hibernians | 57 | (24) |
| National team‡ | |||
| Malta U17 | 5 | (1) | |
| Malta U19 | 5 | (1) | |
| Malta U21 | 1 | (0) | |
| 2018– | Malta | 7 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 June 2018 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 October 2019 | |||
Jake Grech rose through the ranks of Ħamrun Spartans, and debuted with the team in the Maltese First Division.[1] Grech was a protagonist in Ħamrun Spartans' return from all the way down the Maltese Second Division and re-establishment of the Spartans in the Maltese Premier League. Grech was a regular goalscorer and assistman for the Spartans.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Grech's displays led to interest growing in him over the months.[8] In June 2017, Grech was transferred to Birkirkara F.C. for a record fee of €120,000.[2][9] Part of Grech's deal saw defender Daniel Zerafa move to Ħamrun.[10] Grech officially signed for Birkirkara on 18 June 2017.[3]
Grech has represented Malta in various youth categories, such as the Malta national under-17 football team, the Malta national under-19 football team and the Malta national under-21 football team.[11][12] He was instrumental in various matches and showed great promise, at times being decisive for his side.[13]
Upon being promoted as National Team manager, Ray Farrugia decided call up Jake Grech to the senior squad, amongst other players.[14][15] In fact, Grech's first match with the Malta national football team was against Armenia in a match that ended in a draw.[16][17]
During the team's spell in the lower divisions, Grech received a lot of playing time which helped him develop into a goal-scoring offensive-minded midfielder.[1][2][3]
Jake is the son of former Ħamrun Spartans star Marco Grech. Jake's brother Luke Grech is also a professional footballer, who also came up through Ħamrun Spartans's youth set up.[9]
Birkirkara F.C. – current squad | |
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