Avi Nimni Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Avi Nimni
Personal information
Nimni with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2007
Full name	Aviyahu Nimni
Date of birth	(1972-04-26) 26 April 1972 (age 53)
Place of birth	Holon, Israel
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder, second striker
Youth career
1980–1990	Maccabi Tel Aviv
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990–1997	Maccabi Tel Aviv	207	(75)
1997–1998	Atlético Madrid	7	(0)
1998–2003	Maccabi Tel Aviv	116	(77)
1999–2000	→ Derby County (loan)	4	(1)
2003–2005	Beitar Jerusalem	50	(20)
2005–2008	Maccabi Tel Aviv	32	(22)
Total		416	(195)
International career
1990–1993	Israel U21	4	(2)
1992–2006	Israel	80	(17)
Managerial career
2008–2011	Maccabi Tel Aviv (general manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Avi Nimni (Hebrew: אבי נמני; born 26 April 1972) is a famous Israeli former professional football player. He is known as Maccabi Tel Aviv's top goal scorer of all time. Many people consider him one of the greatest players in Maccabi Tel Aviv's history.

Nimni was also the captain of the Israel national team until 2006. His jersey number, 8, became very special to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. After he stopped playing, the club decided that no one else would wear the number 8 shirt to honor him.

Avi Nimni's Football Journey
Career Statistics
Honours and Achievements
Records Set by Avi Nimni
See also

Avi Nimni's Football Journey

Starting Young

Avi Nimni began playing football at a young age, around seven years old. He joined the training facility of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Kiryat Shalom. He played for all of Maccabi's youth teams as he grew up. He also represented Israel in national youth teams.

When he was 17, Nimni played his first game in the top Israeli league, then called the Liga Leumit. By the time he was 18, he was a regular player for Maccabi's main team. During his early years at Maccabi, Nimni achieved a lot of success. He became one of the team's most important players. In 1998, he became the captain of Maccabi after the previous captain, Nir Klinger, retired due to an injury.

Playing in Other Countries

Between 1996 and 2001, Maccabi Tel Aviv had a tough time winning games. This was partly because Avi Nimni left the team for a while. In 1997, he moved to play for Atlético Madrid in Spain. However, he faced injuries during his time there. He only played seven games before returning to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

A year later, Nimni was loaned to Derby County in England. He made a great start, helping to set up a goal in his first game against Arsenal. He also scored a goal against Everton. Even though he played well in a few games, Derby County decided not to buy him permanently. They chose to sign another player instead. So, Nimni went back to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Challenges and Triumphs

In 2000, Shlomo Sharf, a former coach for the Israeli national team, became Maccabi's coach. Sharf was known for being very strict. After a game, he criticized Nimni publicly. Nimni responded by saying that things should be said in a respectful way. Sharf wanted to sell Nimni, but the club's chairman did not agree. Because of this, Sharf left his coaching job.

At the start of the 2002 season, Nir Klinger became the head coach of Maccabi. Klinger was a former Maccabi player and was well-liked by the fans. In a surprising move, Klinger put Nimni on the bench for a big game against Maccabi Haifa. Maccabi won that game 3–2. Nimni stayed on the bench for some time, watching another player, Baruch Dego, become player of the season.

Later, Nimni spoke to a radio show, which caused some issues with Klinger. Klinger then removed Nimni from the team. However, during a crucial game, another player got injured. This meant Nimni had a chance to play again. In that important match, Nimni scored two goals, helping Maccabi win 3–2. This win kept Maccabi in the race for the championship.

In another game, Nimni scored three goals, helping Maccabi win 5–0. After this, Coach Klinger praised Nimni, calling him "the king." In the final game of the season, Nimni scored again, leading Maccabi to a 3–0 victory. This win meant Maccabi Tel Aviv won the championship! Even after being benched earlier, Nimni finished as Maccabi's top scorer with 14 goals.

However, there were reports of disagreements within the team, involving Nimni and another player, Tal Banin. The coach, Nir Klinger, decided that these issues were hurting the team. So, in August 2003, he announced that both Nimni and Banin would leave the club.

Fans were very upset by this decision. For two years, they showed their support for Nimni, wearing black shirts and holding signs. Even though Maccabi won a cup and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time, fans were not happy without Nimni.

After leaving Maccabi, Nimni joined Beitar Jerusalem. He played there for two years and scored 20 goals. In 2005, Nir Klinger brought Nimni back to Maccabi. Klinger himself resigned later that year.

Ending His Playing Career

When Avi Nimni returned to Maccabi in 2005, he started strong. He scored the winning goal in the first match of the 2005–06 season. The next season, 2006–07, was a good one for him, as he scored 10 goals. Nimni thought about retiring at the end of that season. But after a loss to their big rivals, Hapoel Tel Aviv, he decided to play for one more year.

Nimni's last year as a player began with a loss. On August 25, 2007, he scored his final goal in the Israeli Premier League against Maccabi Petah Tikva. This goal made him the third all-time top scorer in the league. After that, he got injured and couldn't play for the rest of the year.

On May 17, 2008, Avi Nimni played his very last match. He entered the game in the 90th minute, and the crowd cheered loudly. Some people even cried. After Nimni retired, Maccabi Tel Aviv honored him by retiring his number 8 shirt forever.

Avi Nimni is Maccabi Tel Aviv's all-time leading goal scorer, with 174 goals for the club. He scored a total of 194 goals in the league throughout his career, making him the third all-time top goal scorer in Israeli football history.

Career Statistics

Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nimni goal.

List of international goals scored by Avi Nimni
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	6 August 1997	Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus	Belarus	2–0	3–2	Friendly
2	17 May 1998	Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia	Latvia	1–0	5–1	Friendly
3	5 September 1998	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Austria	1–1	1–1	UEFA Euro 2000 qualification
4	10 October 1998	San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	2–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
5	18 January 1999	Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel	Estonia	1–0	7–0	1999 Tri Nations Tournament
6	9 February 1999	Kiryat Eliezer Stadium, Haifa, Israel	Belarus	1–0	2–1	Friendly
7	9 February 1999	Kiryat Eliezer Stadium, Haifa, Israel	Belarus	2–1	2–1	Friendly
8	23 February 2000	Kiryat Eliezer Stadium, Haifa, Israel	Russia	4–1	4–1	Friendly
9	2 June 2001	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	3–0	3–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
10	15 August 2001	Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania	Lithuania	3–2	3–2	Friendly
11	17 April 2002	Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark	Denmark	1–3	1–3	Friendly
12	20 November 2002	Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia	Macedonia	2–0	3–2	Friendly
13	12 February 2003	Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel	Armenia	1–0	2–0	Friendly
14	20 August 2003	Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Russia	1–0	2–1	Friendly
15	17 November 2004	GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus	Cyprus	2–1	2–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
16	4 June 2005	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of Ireland	Republic of Ireland	2–2	2–2	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
17	7 September 2005	Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands	Faroe Islands	1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification