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Eran Zahavi
EranZeahviCelebrating.jpg
Zahavi celebrating a goal for Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth (1987-07-25) 25 July 1987 (age 36)
Place of birth Rishon LeZion, Israel
Height 1.81 m
Playing position Striker, winger, attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club 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 (27)
2007–2008 → Ironi Ramat HaSharon (loan) 45 (9)
2011–2013 Palermo 23 (2)
2013–2016 Maccabi Tel Aviv 119 (98)
2016–2020 Guangzhou R&F 106 (91)
2020–2022 PSV Eindhoven 50 (22)
2022– Maccabi Tel Aviv 38 (25)
National team
2008 Israel U21 1 (0)
2010– Israel 73 (34)
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 December 2023.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2023

Eran Zahavi (or Zehavi, Hebrew: ערן זהבי, /ɛˈrɑːn zəˈhɑːvɪ/ err-ahn zə-hah-vi; born 25 July 1987) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a forward for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israel national team.

Zahavi was named Israeli Footballer of the Year twice (2013–14 and 2014–15), and finished as the top goalscorer of the Israeli Premier League for three consecutive seasons, in 2013–14 (29 goals), 2014–15 (27 goals) and 2015–16 (35 goals, all-time league record). In December 2014, Zahavi broke the Israeli Premier League record for scoring in consecutive appearances after he scored for the 18th game in a row. In 2016, he broke the Israeli league six-decade-old season scoring record, beating the 1954–55 record. He was named the 2017 Chinese Super League MVP, and broke the league's single-season scoring record in 2019.

Zahavi made his debut for the Israel national team in 2010. He is a former national team captain and the current all-time top scorer for Israel with 34 goals.

Club career

Zehavi2
Zahavi playing for Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2010

Zahavi started his youth career with Hapoel Tel Aviv at the age of 6. At the age of 16 he went to Ironi Rishon LeZion, in his hometown. Two years later, in 2005, he returned to Hapoel.

Hapoel Tel Aviv

A Hapoel Tel Aviv youth product, Zahavi was promoted to its senior team in 2006. With Hapoel, he won the 2009–10 Israel State Cup and the 2009–10 Israeli Premier League title after a dramatic match against the fierce rivals Beitar Jerusalem in the last round of the season, in which he scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute. Zahavi was reported to have garnered interest from clubs in Belgium during the 2009–10 season.

In the 2010–11 season Zahavi became the top assist provider of the Israeli Premier League, providing 13 assists during the season.

Palermo

Zahavi signed a five-year deal with the Italian Serie A club, Palermo, before the beginning of the 2011–12 Serie A season. He capped two seasons with 23 appearances in the top league in Italy, scoring two goals against Bologna and Cagliari.

Maccabi Tel Aviv

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

At the 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.

Chelsea Vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (21306136599)
Zahavi (left) playing for and captains Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2015–16 Champions League match against Chelsea.

In the beginning of the 2015–16 season, Zahavi was appointed as Maccabi Tel Aviv's new captain after former captain Sheran Yeini signed with Dutch club Vitesse. On 5 August 2015, Zahavi scored two goals against Czech team Viktoria Plzeň in a 2–0 away victory in 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 Basel at St. Jakob-Park in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. On 25 August, during the second leg at Bloomfield, he scored a 24th-minute equaliser as the match ended 1–1, a result that sent Maccabi to the Champions League group stage due to the away goals rule. Zahavi finished the Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round as the top goalscorer with 7 goals in 5 games. During the season Zahavi scored 35 league goals, in 36 league games, and set a new Israeli record for league goals in single season. The previous record was set by the striker Nissim Elmaliach, who scored 30 goals in 26 league games during the 1954–55 season.

Guangzhou R&F

On 29 June 2016, Zahavi joined Guangzhou R&F of the Chinese Super League, making him the second Israeli footballer in China after Liron Zarko. The transfer deal paid Zahavi a reported $12.5 million over two-and-a-half years. On 2 July, Zahavi made his debut coming on from the bench at the 60th minute playing against Shijiazhuang Ever Bright with the score a 1–1 draw. 15 minutes later he scored his first goal, and later on he added an assist to lead his team to a 4–2 victory.

On 13 July, Zahavi scored a hat-trick in 19 minutes in the Chinese FA Cup match against Hebei China Fortune, coming on from the bench in the second half and helping R&F to a 3–0 win. On 18 October, during a league match against Hangzhou Greentown, Zahavi netted his second hat-trick in an R&F jersey, propelling them to a 5–2 victory. He found the net in the 33rd, 55th, and 67th minutes of the match. Those goals gave him 16 goals in as many games for R&F, across all competitions. These scoring exploits quickly earned him the nickname "the King of Yuexiushan".

Zahavi finished his first half season for Guangzhou R&F with six goals in four Chinese FA Cup games, and 11 league goals in 15 appearances. In December 2016, according to media reports, Chinese club Shandong Luneng Taishan F.C. offered $20 million for Zahavi, the highest transfer fee ever offered for an Israeli footballer. On 24 January 2017, Zahavi signed a renewed contract with Guangzhou R&F until the end of the 2020 season, for an estimated $7 million per season. On 23 July, in the league match against Yanbian Funde, he scored four goals for Guangzhou in a 6–2 victory. Zahavi finished the 2017 season with 27 league goals (one short of the league record) to win the CSL Golden Boot Award. He was also named the Most Valuable Player in the Chinese Super League, and selected in the CSL team of the year.

After Shanghai Greenland Shenhua failed to sign Zahavi in September 2017 for a transfer fee of $25 million, Zahavi renewed his contract with Guangzhou R&F in February 2018 for an estimated $10 million per season on a three-year contract. On 2 March, during round 1 of the 2018 CSL season, Zahavi scored a hat-trick and assisted one goal in the 5–4 away win against reigning champions Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao.

In November 2019, Zahavi broke the CSL single-season scoring record after scoring his 29th goal of the season, surpassing the previous record set by Elkeson in 2014.

PSV Eindhoven

On 20 September 2020, Zahavi signed a two-year deal with Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven. He made his debut for the Dutch side on 1 October 2020 in UEFA Europa League play-offs against Norwegian side Rosenborg, contributing to the 2–0 away win with a goal and an assist.

On 21 July 2021, Zahavi scored a hat-trick and made an assist in a 5–1 win against Galatasaray, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round match.

In March 2022, Zahavi was named by the UEFA Europa Conference League as its Player of the Week, thanks to his two-goal display against Copenhagen in the round of 16 second leg, earning his side a 4–0 win. In the same month, he was also named as Eredivisie Player of the Month after scoring in each of the three games he played in March. Zahavi scored his eighth European goal of the season in the Conference League quarter-finals against Leicester City, and thus equalised the PSV record shared by Willy van der Kuijlen and Gerrie Deijkers, who both scored eight European goals for the club in the 1970s.

Zahavi left the club after the 2021–22 season after his contract was not renewed.

Return to Maccabi Tel Aviv

In June 2022, Zahavi returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv on a two-year contract, having previously played for the Israeli Premier League side between 2013 and 2016. He once again also captains the club.

International career

Zahavi israel
Zahavi (in white) playing for Israel in 2016 Euro qualifiers against Andorra

Zahavi made his senior debut for Israel on 2 September 2010 against Malta in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers. He scored his first goal for the national team on 10 September 2013 against Russia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

On 24 March 2019, he scored a hat-trick against Austria in a 4–2 home win, during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. On 7 June 2019, Zahavi scored a back-to-back hat-trick against Latvia in a 3–0 away win, during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. He scored a total of eleven goals during the qualifying campaign, and was thus the second best overall goalscorer (along with Cristiano Ronaldo) across all qualifying groups, and only a goal behind Harry Kane.

On 14 October 2020, during a 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B match against Slovakia, Zahavi scored three goals in the span of 20 minutes to bring Israel from 0–2 behind to a 3–2 win. With five goals, he was the second best goalscorer across all divisions of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League (along with League A's Romelu Lukaku), and only a goal behind League B's Erling Haaland.

On 1 September 2021, Zahavi scored his fourth international hat-trick in an away match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, earning Israel a 4–0 win against Faroe Islands. Three days later, he scored two goals in the World Cup qualifying match against Austria, that ended in a 5–2 home win for Israel. Even though he missed the last two matches due to injury, Zahavi managed to score a total of eight goals during the qualifiers, and was thus one of the top goalscorers across all qualifying rounds.

On 15 September 2022, Zahavi announced his retirement from the national team due to hotel room dispute during international duty. However, in November 2023, he returned to the national team for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches.

Personal life

Zahavi was born and raised in Rishon LeZion, Israel, to Israeli-Jewish parents. His father Ilan immigrated from France to Israel as a teenager, whereas his mother Eti is Israeli-born. He has an elder brother, Avi.

Zahavi has served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), to complete his mandatory military service. He also obtained a French passport, on account of his French-born father, in order to facilitate the transfer to certain European leagues. Zahavi is observant and does not play football on the Jewish High Holiday of Yom Kippur.

On 9 May 2021, ahead of the Eredivisie match between his club PSV Eindhoven and Willem II, two armed robbers broke into Zahavi's house in Amsterdam, tying up his wife Shay (née Levy) and three children. On 12 December 2021, their house was once again broken in, this time when Zahavi was on medical retreat abroad with his family.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hapoel Tel Aviv 2006–07 Israeli Premier League 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0
2008–09 28 7 1 0 7 4 6 1 42 12
2009–10 33 11 5 1 6 1 11 0 55 13
2010–11 33 9 4 2 1 1 12 5 50 17
Total 94 27 10 3 16 6 29 6 149 42
Ironi Ramat HaSharon
(loan)
2006–07 Liga Leumit 17 2 1 0 18 2
2007–08 28 7 2 1 2 2 32 10
Total 45 9 3 1 2 2 50 12
Palermo 2011–12 Serie A 20 2 0 0 2 0 22 2
2012–13 3 0 1 0 4 0
Total 23 2 1 0 2 0 26 2
Maccabi Tel Aviv 2012–13 Israeli Premier League 16 7 2 1 0 0 18 8
2013–14 34 29 1 1 11 5 46 35
2014–15 33 27 5 5 4 1 6 2 48 35
2015–16 36 35 6 3 2 1 11 8 1 2 56 49
Total 119 98 14 10 6 2 28 15 1 2 168 127
Guangzhou R&F 2016 Chinese Super League 15 11 4 6 19 17
2017 30 27 4 4 34 31
2018 26 20 3 2 29 22
2019 28 29 0 0 28 29
2020 7 4 0 0 7 4
Total 106 91 11 12 117 103
PSV Eindhoven 2020–21 Eredivisie 25 11 2 0 6 6 33 17
2021–22 25 11 4 1 16 8 1 0 46 20
Total 50 22 6 1 22 14 1 0 79 37
Maccabi Tel Aviv 2022–23 Israeli Premier League 32 20 4 4 1 0 4 2 41 26
2023–24 6 5 0 0 2 3 11 8 19 16
Total 38 25 4 4 3 3 15 10 0 0 60 42
Career total 475 274 49 31 27 13 96 45 2 2 649 365

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Israel 2010 3 0
2011 5 0
2012 3 0
2013 6 1
2014 6 2
2015 7 1
2016 5 2
2017 4 0
2018 3 2
2019 10 11
2020 7 5
2021 11 9
2022 0 0
2023 3 1
Total 73 34
Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zahavi goal.
List of international goals scored by Eran Zahavi
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 10 September 2013 Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia 15  Russia 1–3 1–3 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 1 June 2014 BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, United States 20  Honduras 1–0 4–2 Friendly
3 16 November 2014 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel 23  Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
4 3 September 2015 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel 27  Andorra 1–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
5 31 May 2016 Karađorđe Stadium, Novi Sad, Serbia 31  Serbia 1–1 1–3 Friendly
6 12 November 2016 Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania 32  Albania 1–0 3–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 15 November 2018 Netanya Stadium, Netanya, Israel 41  Guatemala 1–0 7–0 Friendly
8 20 November 2018 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 42  Scotland 2–3 2–3 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C
9 21 March 2019 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel 43  Slovenia 1–1 1–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
10 24 March 2019 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel 44  Austria 1–1 4–2 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
11 2–1
12 3–1
13 7 June 2019 Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia 45  Latvia 1–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
14 2–0
15 3–0
16 5 September 2019 Turner Stadium, Be'er Sheva, Israel 47  Macedonia 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
17 9 September 2019 Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia 48  Slovenia 2–1 2–3 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
18 10 October 2019 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 49  Austria 1–0 1–3 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
19 15 October 2019 Turner Stadium, Be'er Sheva, Israel 50  Latvia 2–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
20 4 September 2020 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 53  Scotland 1–1 1–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B
21 11 October 2020 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel 56  Czech Republic 1–2 1–2 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B
22 14 October 2020 Anton Malatinský Stadium, Trnava, Slovakia 57  Slovakia 1–2 3–2 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B
23 2–2
24 3–2
25 31 March 2021 Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova 62  Moldova 1–1 4–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
26 5 June 2021 City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro 63  Montenegro 1–0 3–1 Friendly
27 1 September 2021 Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands 65  Faroe Islands 1–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
28 2–0
29 4–0
30 4 September 2021 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel 66  Austria 3–0 5–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
31 5–2
32 9 October 2021 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 68  Scotland 1–0 2–3 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
33 12 October 2021 Turner Stadium, Be'er Sheva, Israel 69  Moldova 1–0 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
34 18 November 2023 Pancho Aréna, Felcsút, Hungary 73  Romania 1–0 1–2 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying

Honours

Hapoel Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv

  • Israeli Premier League: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
  • Israel State Cup: 2014–15
  • Israel Toto Cup (Ligat Ha'Al): 2014–15

PSV Eindhoven

Individual

  • Israeli Premier League Most Assists: 2010–11
  • Israeli Footballer of the Year: 2013–14, 2014–15
  • Israeli Premier League Top goalscorer: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
  • Chinese Super League Player of the Year: 2017
  • Chinese Super League Top goalscorer: 2017, 2019
  • Chinese Super League Team of the Year: 2017, 2019
  • Eredivisie Player of the Month: March 2022

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Eran Zahavi para niños

  • List of top international men's football goal scorers by country
  • List of Chinese Super League hat-tricks
  • List of Jewish footballers
  • List of Jews in sports
  • List of Israelis
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