Yaniv Azran

Yaniv Azran
Personal information
Full nameYaniv Azran
Date of birth12 May 1983
Place of birthAshdod, Israel
Playing positionStriker
Youth career
1992–2000F.C. Ashdod
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2000–2006F.C. Ashdod99(27)
2003–2004→ Hapoel Ra'anana (loan)23(6)
2006Paralimni1(0)
2006–2007F.C. Ashdod28(15)
2007–2011Maccabi Tel Aviv24(1)
National team
2004–2005Israel U217(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 May 2010.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 December 2006

Yaniv Azran (Hebrew: יניב עזרן, born 12 May 1983) is a retired Israeli footballer.

Playing career

Azran grew up in the youth system of F.C. Ashdod in Israel.[1]

After finishing the 2005–06 season in Ashdod and seeing little playing time, Nir Klinger signed Azran to a two year contract worth $120,000 a year while managing Paralimni.[2] After a failed stint playing in Cyprus, he returned to Ashdod and finished the season with 15 goals. His achievement did not go unnoticed by European clubs, he was said to be on his way to Spain if he could secure a Polish passport (Azran is of Polish descent on his mother's side).[1]

At the beginning of 2007–08 season Azran transferred Maccabi Tel Aviv for a fee of $775,000. In his first season he managed to score only one goal for the team which since then has been his only goal mostly because Azran spent most of the next two seasons on the injured list with various knee and ankle injuries. In 4 seasons with the club he only managed to play 34 games in all competitions, scoring 4 goals and providing 4 assists.

He won a lawsuit against the club after they haven't paid most of his salary in his last season with Maccabi, on November 2012 Maccabi was ordered to pay $240,000 to Azran as compensation.[3]

On February 2012 he announced his retirement from the game.[4]

Honours

Footnotes