Avi Nimni facts for kids
Nimni with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2007
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 April 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Holon, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.88 m | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 1990–1993 | Israel U21 | 4 | (2) |
| 1992–2006 | Israel | 80 | (17) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2008–2011 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (general manager) | ||
|
|||
Avi Nimni (Hebrew: אבי נמני; born 26 April 1972) is a famous Israeli former football player. He is known for being the highest ever scorer for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Many people think he is 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 so special that Maccabi Tel Aviv decided no other player would wear it after he stopped playing. This shows how important he was to the team!
Contents
Avi Nimni's Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
Avi Nimni began playing football when he was about seven years old. He joined the training program at Maccabi Tel Aviv. He played for all of Maccabi's youth teams. He also played for Israel's national youth teams.
When he was 17, Nimni played his first game in the top league, the Liga Leumit. By age 18, he was a regular player for Maccabi's main team. During his time at Maccabi, he became one of their most important players and achieved a lot of success.
In 1998, he became the captain of Maccabi. He took over from Nir Klinger, who had been captain for a long time.
Playing Abroad
Between 1996 and 2001, Maccabi Tel Aviv had some tough times. This was partly because Avi Nimni left the team for a while. In 1997, he moved to Atlético Madrid in Spain.
However, he got injured a lot during his time there. He only played seven games before returning to Maccabi.
A year later, Nimni was loaned to Derby County in England. He helped set up a goal in his very 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. So, Nimni went back to Maccabi Tel Aviv again.
Challenges and Triumphs
In 2000, Shlomo Sharf, a former coach for Israel's national team, became Maccabi's coach. After one game, Sharf was not happy with Nimni's performance. Nimni felt that Sharf's comments were unfair.
The next day, Nimni spoke about it publicly. Sharf wanted to sell Nimni, but the team's chairman, Lonny Herzikowicz, said no. Because of this, Sharf decided to leave his coaching job.
Working with Nir Klinger
In 2002, Nir Klinger became the head coach of Maccabi. Klinger was a former Maccabi player and was well-liked by the fans.
One time, after a tough loss, Maccabi was set to play against the champions, Maccabi Haifa. Klinger surprised everyone by putting Nimni on the bench. He started Baruch Dego instead. Maccabi won that game 3–2. Nimni stayed on the bench for the rest of the season, and Dego was named player of the season.
Later, Nimni spoke in an interview about the team. Klinger then removed him from the squad. But then, Dego got injured. This was a problem because Maccabi was in first place, tied on points with other teams.
In a crucial game against Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi was losing at halftime. But Nimni came in and scored two goals! This helped Maccabi win 3–2.
In another game, Nimni scored three goals, helping Maccabi win 5–0. After that game, a reporter asked Klinger about Nimni. Klinger famously replied, "Avi Nimni is the king." In the final game of the season, Nimni scored again, and Maccabi won the championship! Even after being benched, Nimni finished as Maccabi's top scorer with 14 goals.
However, there were some team disagreements reported. On August 13, 2003, Coach Klinger held a press conference. He said that team issues were causing problems for Maccabi. Because of these issues, Klinger decided that both Nimni and teammate Tal Banin had to leave the club.
Fans were very upset by this decision. For two years, they wore black shirts and held signs saying, "8 is in our blood, Avi Nimni will always be in Maccabi." Even though the team won a cup and qualified for the UEFA Champions League, fans were not happy about Nimni leaving.
After leaving Maccabi, Nimni joined Beitar Jerusalem. He played there for two years and scored 20 goals. In 2005, after two years away, Nimni was brought back to Maccabi by Nir Klinger, who later resigned that year.
Saying Goodbye to Playing
Avi Nimni is seen as a very special player for Maccabi and a huge fan favorite. He started his return season well, scoring the winning goal in the first game of the 2005–06 season.
The 2006–07 season was good for Avi. He scored 10 goals. He 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 started with a loss. On August 25, 2007, he scored his last goal in the Israeli Premier League. This made him the third all-time top scorer. After that, Avi got injured, which kept him out for the rest of the year.
On May 17, 2008, Nimni played his very last match. He came onto the field in the 90th minute, and the crowd cheered loudly. Some people even cried. After Nimni retired, Maccabi Tel Aviv decided to retire his number 8 shirt forever.
Nimni is Maccabi's all-time top goalscorer, with 174 goals for the club. He has scored 194 goals overall in the league, making him the number three 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.
| 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 | 2–1 | |||||
| 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 |
Honours and Achievements
As a Player
Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Israeli Premier League: 1991–92, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2002–03
- State Cup: 1993–94, 1995–96, 2000–01, 2001–02
- Toto Cup: 1992–93, 1998–99
Individual Awards
- Israeli Premier League top scorer – 2000–01
As a Manager
Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Toto Cup: 2008–09
Records
- Most goals in an Israeli Premier League: 3rd – 194 goals
- Most goals in Maccabi Tel Aviv: 174 goals
See also
In Spanish: Avi Nimni para niños
Images for kids
-
Nimni with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2007
