Pini Balili
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| Pini Balili פִּינִי בַּלִילִי |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pinhas Felix Balili פִּנחַס פֱלִיקס בַּלִילִי |
|
| Date of birth | June 18, 1979 | |
| Place of birth | Israel | |
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 71⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Sivasspor | |
| Number | 17 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1990-1996 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1996-1997 1997-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-present |
Shimshon Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv Istanbulspor Kayserispor Sivasspor |
- (-) 115 (35) 29 (13) 28 (10) 66 (18) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1997 2000 2000-present |
Israel U18 Israel U21 Israel |
3 (0) 4 (1) 29 (7) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Pini Balili (Hebrew: פִּינִי בַּלִילִי; born June 18, 1979), is an Israeli football player currently at Sivasspor in Turkey.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Move back to Hapoel
As a youngster, Balili grew up supporting Hapoel Tel Aviv and was part of the youth system there before moving to Shimshon Tel Aviv in his teens. It wasn't long before he caught the eye of Hapoel scouts who saw Balili as a missed opportunity so the club purchased his contract after just one professional season. His breakout did not come until the Dror Kashtan era at Hapoel Tel Aviv[1]. Instrumental in the clubs success in the UEFA Cup, Balili found himself featuring for the national team as well. After the 2002-03 season, Hapoel decided to cut wages and Pini left for newly promoted Turkish club Istanbulspor[2].
[edit] Time in Turkey
Financial troubles at Istanbulspor led to Balili being let go after just one season. Though he immediately signed with newly promoted Kayserispor. In 2006, Sivasspor applied for Turkish citizenship for Balili stating that he is a model citizen in Turkey and has full grasp of the Turkish language[3].
A somewhat religious man, rumors were started that a league match between Sivasspor and Ankaraspor, was postponed during the 2006-07 on account of it coinciding with Yom Kippur. The Turkish Football Federation denied these claims[4]. The story garnered some press coverage, namely because Israeli goalkeeper, Dudu Aouate claimed that he was willing to play on the Jewish day of atonement.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Pini Balili. JewsinSports.org. (Retrieved on 2006-10-28)
- ^ Pini Balili. Jewish Virtual Library. (Retrieved on 2006-10-28)
- ^ (Hebrew) Balili: "I guess they are counting on me for the long haul". One.co.il (2006-8-20). (Retrieved on 2006-10-28)
- ^ TFF rejects Balili rumors. Turkish Daily News (2006-09-27). (Retrieved on 2006-10-28)
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