Eran Zahavi

Eran Zahavi

Zahavi celebrating after scoring against Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Tel Aviv derby in March 2014
Personal information
Date of birth (1987-07-25) 25 July 1987
Place of birth Rishon LeZion, Israel
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Maccabi Tel Aviv
Number 7
Youth career
1993–2003 Hapoel Tel Aviv
2003–2005 Ironi Rishon LeZion
2005–2006 Hapoel Tel Aviv
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2006–2011 Hapoel Tel Aviv 94 (30)
2007–2008 → Ironi Ramat HaSharon (loan) 45 (9)
2011–2013 Palermo 23 (2)
2013– Maccabi Tel Aviv 151 (110)
National team‡
2008 Israel U21 1 (0)
2010– Israel 30 (4)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 November 2015.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 October 2015

Eran Zahavi (or Eran Zehavi, Hebrew: ערן זהבי‎; born 25 July 1987) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israel national team.

Zahavi was named the Israeli Footballer of the Year twice (2013 and 2014) and finished as the top goalscorer in the Israeli Premier League in 2013–14 (29 goals, all-time club record). In December 2014, Zahavi broke the Israeli Premier League record for scoring in consecutive appearances after he scored for an 18th game in a row. He has been a senior international since 2010, earning over 25 caps.

Early life

Zahavi is Israeli, and was born in Rishon Le Zion, Israel.[1][2] Zahavi started his youth career with Hapoel Tel Aviv. At the age of 16 he went to Ironi Rishon LeZion, in his hometown. Two years later, in 2005 he returned to Hapoel, he managed to get to the state cup final with his team but lost to Beitar Jerusalem F.C. after a penalty shootout, he scored the equalizer that led to extra time.

Club career

Hapoel Tel Aviv

Zahavi before the match with Hapoel Tel Aviv 2010

A Hapoel Tel Aviv youth product, he was promoted into the first team in 2006 and won the Israel State Cup and the championship title after a dramatic match against the fierce rival Beitar Jerusalem in which Zahavi scored at the 92nd minute of extra time. Zahavi was reported to have garnered interest from clubs in Belgium during the 2009–10 season. Zahavi has a French passport which would mean that he would not count as a foreigner in many European leagues.[3]

In the 2010–11 season Zahavi became the top assister of the Israeli Premier League, providing 13 assists during the season.[4]

Palermo

It was reported that Zahavi signed a 5-year deal with the Italian Serie A club, Palermo.[5]

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Zahavi celebrating a goal for Maccabi.

In December 2012, towards the winter transfers window opening, Zahavi showed signs of returning to Israel.[6] Following an agreement made by Palermo and Maccabi Tel Aviv, his former club Hapoel Tel Aviv was given 7 days to make a bid on him due to a first-option clause in his contract,[7] but it was not exploited. On 21 January 2013, after over a month of speculations in the media, Maccabi Tel Aviv announced his arrival, signing him on a three-and-a-half year contract[8] for €250,000.[9]

In a Tel Aviv derby on 3 November 2014, Zahavi scored a penalty to equalise the score at 1–1 in the first half, but was then attacked by a pitch invader. On retaliating, he was sent off, prompting more pitch invasions which led to the match being abandoned.[10]

2015–16 season

In the beginning of the season, Zahavi was appointed as Maccabi's new captain after former captain Sheran Yeini signed at Dutch football club Vitesse.

On 5 August 2015, Zahavi scored two goals against Czech team Viktoria Plzeň in a 2-0 away victory on the second leg of the third qualifying round after Maccabi lost at home 2-1.

On 19 August 2015, Zahavi scored a brace, including a 96th-minute equaliser, in a 2–2 draw against Swiss side FC Basel at St. Jakob-Park in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs.[11] On 25 August, the second leg at Bloomfield, he scored a 24th-minute equaliser and the match ended 1-1, a result that sent Maccabi to the Champions League group stage due to the away goals rule.[12] Zahavi finished the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round as the top goalscorer with 7 goals in 5 games.[13]

International career

Zahavi made his international debut on 2 September 2010 against Malta in Ramat Gan Stadium, in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match. He scored his first goal for the national team on 10 September 2013 against Russia.[14] On 2 June 2014, he scored his second goal in a friendly match against Honduras.[15]

International goals

Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref
1. 10 September 2013 Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg  Russia 1–3 1–3 2014 World Cup qualifier [14]
2. 1 June 2014 BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston  Honduras 1–0 4–2 Road to Brazil [15]
3. 16 November 2014 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa  Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–0 3–0 Euro 2016 qualifier [16]
4. 3 September 2015 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa  Andorra 1–0 4–0 Euro 2016 qualifier

Honours

Club

Hapoel Tel Aviv[17]
Maccabi Tel Aviv[17]

Individual

Records

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Israeli Sports", Jewish Sports Review, Vol. 9, No. 11, Issue 107, p. 21, January/February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Eran Zahavi". Yahoo Eurosport UK.
  3. ↑ Gladstone, Roy (11 February 2010). קבוצה בכירה מהליגה הבלגית הציעה חוזה לערן זהבי [A Leading Club From The Belgian League Offers Contract To Eran Zahavi] (in Hebrew). One. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  4. ↑ 2010/11 IPL top assisters on one.co.il (Hebrew)
  5. ↑ "Palermo is strengthen, here is the initial balance". US Città di Palermo (in Italian). www.ilpalermocalcio.it. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  6. ↑ Eran Zahavi claims return to Israel, nrg, 14 December 2012
  7. ↑ Palermo: Hapoel Tel Aviv got a first-option on Eran Zahavi, ynet, 2 January 2013
  8. ↑ "Zahavi agrees 3.5 years deal". Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  9. ↑ Eran Zahavi moves to Maccabi Tel Aviv, walla!, 21 January 2013
  10. ↑ "Tel Aviv derby abandoned after player and fan clash". BBC Sport. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Zahavi header ensures Maccabi deny Basel". UEFA. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Zahavi strike ensures Maccabi edge out Basel". UEFA. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  13. ↑
  14. 1 2 Sinai, Allon (11 September 2013). "Downtrodden Israel decisively defeated". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Honduras struggle again in 4–2 loss to Israel". Yahoo! Sports. Reuters. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  16. ↑ Zenziper, Nadav (16 November 2014). "Israel beats Bosnia-Herzegovina 3–0 in 2016 Euro qualifier". Ynetnews. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  17. 1 2 Eran Zahavi profile at Soccerway

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