Jake_Grech

Jake Grech

Jake Grech

Maltese footballer

Jake Grech (born 18 November 1997) is a Maltese professional footballer currently playing with Floriana in the Maltese Premier League.[1]

Quick Facts Personal information, Full name ...

Club career

Ħamrun Spartans

Jake Grech rose through the ranks of Ħamrun Spartans, and debuted with the team in the Maltese First Division.[2] 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.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Birkirkara

Grech's displays led to interest growing in him over the months.[9] In June 2017, Grech was transferred to Birkirkara F.C. for a record fee of €120,000.[3][10] Part of Grech's deal saw defender Daniel Zerafa move to Ħamrun.[11] Grech officially signed for Birkirkara on 18 June 2017.[4]

Balzan

On 21 June 2023, Grech signed a contract with Balzan.[12]

Floriana

On 26th January, 2024, Grech left Balzan and signed a contract with Floriana, having been swapped with Jan Busuttil, who signed for Balzan.

International career

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.[13][14] He was instrumental in various matches and showed great promise, at times being decisive for his side.[15]

Upon being promoted as National Team manager, Ray Farrugia decided call up Jake Grech to the senior squad, amongst other players.[16][17] In fact, Grech's first match with the Malta national football team was against Armenia in a match that ended in a draw.[18][19]

Style of play

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.[2][3][4]

Personal life

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.[10]

References

  1. [1]
    Jake Grech at Soccerway
  2. [2]
    "BOV Second Division | Malta Football Association". mfa.com.mt. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  3. [3]
    "Jake Grech moves to Birkirkara for EUR 120,000 – local transfer record". maltawinds.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  4. [4]
    "Birkirkara FC - Player Profile". birkirkarafc.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  5. [5]
    "Valletta dig deep to edge plucky Maroons; Hamrun back to winning form against 10-man Sliema". The Malta Independent. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  6. [6]
    "Floriana and Ħamrun share the spoils in a draw". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  7. [7]
    "Hamrun Spartans shock Hibernians | Hamrun Spartans FC". hamrunspartans.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  8. [8]
    "inewsmalta.com". inewsmalta.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  9. [9]
    Allied Newspapers Ltd. "Birkirkara close in on U-21 midfielder Grech". timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  10. [10]
    "Birkirkara jiktbu lill-MFA għal erba' plejers...Jake Grech l-akbar kolp". TVM. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  11. [11]
    Allied Newspapers Ltd. "Stripes strike deal for Grech". timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  12. [12]
    "Balzan FC completed the signing of Malta international midfielder Jake Grech". 18 July 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Under-21 - Malta - Jake Grech". UEFA.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  14. [14]
    "Jake Grech heartened by team's display in Swiss defeat | Malta Football Association". mfa.com.mt. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  15. [15]
    "Jake Grech stunner gives Malta U21 team a merited win over Latvia". The Malta Independent. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  16. [16]
    Allied Newspapers Ltd. "Farrugia opts for a blend of youth and experience in Malta squad". timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  17. [17]
    "Farrugia finalises Malta squad for Armenia and Georgia friendlies". The Malta Independent. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  18. [18]
    Allied Newspapers Ltd. "Farrugia's Malta earn draw against Armenia". timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  19. [19]
    "Brave Malta in 1-1 draw against Armenia in friendly | Malta Football Association". mfa.com.mt. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Jake_Grech, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.