Eran Zahavi facts for kids
Zahavi celebrating a goal for Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 25 July 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Rishon LeZion, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.81 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker, advanced playmaker | ||
| 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 | 67 | (40) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008 | Israel U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2010– | Israel | 74 | (35) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Eran Zahavi (born 25 July 1987) is a famous Israeli footballer. He plays as a forward for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel and is an important player for the Israel national team.
Eran Zahavi is known for scoring many goals. He was named the best Israeli footballer twice. He was also the top goalscorer in the Israeli Premier League for three years in a row. In 2016, he set a new record for the most goals scored in a single season in the Israeli league. Later, he became the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the Chinese Super League in 2017 and broke their single-season scoring record in 2019.
He first played for the Israel national team in 2010. He used to be the team captain and is now their all-time top scorer with 35 goals.
Contents
Eran Zahavi's Football Journey
Eran Zahavi started playing football at a young age. He joined the youth team of Hapoel Tel Aviv when he was just 6 years old. At 16, he moved to Ironi Rishon LeZion in his hometown. Two years later, in 2005, he returned to Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Early Club Success: Hapoel Tel Aviv
Zahavi joined Hapoel Tel Aviv's main team in 2006. With them, he helped win the 2009–10 Israel State Cup and the 2009–10 Israeli Premier League title. He scored the winning goal in the very last minute of a big game against Beitar Jerusalem in 2010. This goal secured the league title for Hapoel.
In the 2010–11 season, Zahavi was the player who gave the most assists (passes that lead to goals) in the Israeli Premier League. He made 13 assists that season.
Playing in Italy: Palermo
Before the 2011–12 season, Zahavi signed a five-year contract with Palermo, a club in Italy's top league, Serie A. He played for two seasons, appearing in 23 games and scoring two goals.
Star Player: Maccabi Tel Aviv
In January 2013, Eran Zahavi returned to Israel and joined Maccabi Tel Aviv. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract.
On 3 November 2014, during a big game in Tel Aviv, Zahavi scored a penalty. After that, a fan ran onto the field and attacked him. Zahavi reacted, and he was sent off the field. This caused more fans to invade the pitch, and the game had to be stopped.
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At the start of the 2015–16 season, Zahavi became the new captain of Maccabi Tel Aviv. He scored two goals in a 2–0 away win against Czech team Viktoria Plzeň in the Champions League qualifiers. He also scored two goals, including a goal in the 96th minute, in a 2–2 draw against Swiss team Basel in the Champions League playoffs. Maccabi Tel Aviv made it to the Champions League group stage thanks to his goals. Zahavi was the top scorer in the Champions League qualifying rounds with 7 goals in 5 games.
During that season, Zahavi scored an amazing 35 goals in 36 league games. This set a new Israeli record for the most league goals in a single season. The old record was 30 goals, set way back in 1954–55.
Moving to China: Guangzhou R&F
On 29 June 2016, Zahavi joined Guangzhou R&F in the Chinese Super League. He was the second Israeli footballer to play in China. The deal was worth a lot of money, about $12.5 million over two and a half years.
He made his first appearance for Guangzhou R&F on 2 July. He came on as a substitute and scored his first goal just 15 minutes later. He also made an assist, helping his team win 4–2.
On 13 July, Zahavi scored three goals (a hat-trick) in just 19 minutes in a Chinese FA Cup match. He came on in the second half and helped his team win 3–0. On 18 October, he scored another hat-trick in a league game, leading his team to a 5–2 victory. These goals earned him the nickname "the King of Yuexiushan."
Zahavi finished his first half-season in China with 6 goals in 4 Chinese FA Cup games and 11 league goals in 15 games. In December 2016, another Chinese club reportedly offered $20 million for Zahavi, which would have been the highest transfer fee ever for an Israeli footballer. On 24 January 2017, Zahavi signed a new contract with Guangzhou R&F until the end of the 2020 season, worth an estimated $7 million per season.
On 23 July, he scored four goals in a league match, helping Guangzhou win 6–2. Zahavi ended the 2017 season with 27 league goals, winning the Chinese Super League Golden Boot Award. He was also named the Most Valuable Player and was chosen for the CSL team of the year.
In November 2019, Zahavi broke the Chinese Super League's record for most goals in a single season. He scored his 29th goal, beating the previous record set in 2014.
Playing in the Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven
On 20 September 2020, Zahavi signed a two-year contract with PSV Eindhoven, a team in the Dutch league, Eredivisie. He played his first game for them on 1 October 2020 in a UEFA Europa League match. He scored a goal and made an assist, helping his team win 2–0.
On 21 July 2021, Zahavi scored a hat-trick and made an assist in a 5–1 win against Galatasaray in a Champions League qualifying match.
In March 2022, Zahavi was named the UEFA Europa Conference League Player of the Week. This was because he scored two goals in a 4–0 away win against Copenhagen. In the same month, he was also named Eredivisie Player of the Month. Zahavi scored his eighth European goal of the season in the Conference League quarter-finals. This tied a PSV record for most European goals in a season.
Zahavi left PSV Eindhoven after the 2021–22 season when his contract ended.
Coming Home: Return to Maccabi Tel Aviv
In June 2022, Zahavi returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv on a two-year contract. He had played for them before from 2013 to 2016. He was also named the team captain again.
In December 2023, UEFA named Zahavi the UEFA Europa Conference League Player of the Week. He scored two goals against Belgian team Gent, helping Maccabi Tel Aviv win 3–1 in the group stage.
Eran Zahavi's International Career
Eran Zahavi first played for the Israel national team on 2 September 2010. He scored his first goal for the national team on 10 September 2013 against Russia.
On 24 March 2019, he scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Austria in a 4–2 home win during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. On 7 June 2019, Zahavi scored another hat-trick against Latvia in a 3–0 away win. He scored a total of eleven goals during that qualifying campaign, making him the second-best goalscorer overall, just one goal behind Harry Kane.
On 14 October 2020, during a match against Slovakia, Zahavi scored three goals in just 20 minutes. He helped Israel come back from being 0–2 down to win 3–2. With five goals, he was the second-best goalscorer across all divisions of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.
On 1 September 2021, Zahavi scored his fourth international hat-trick in a game against Faroe Islands, helping Israel win 4–0. Three days later, he scored two goals against Austria in a 5–2 home win. Even though he missed the last two games due to injury, Zahavi scored eight goals during these qualifiers, making him one of the top scorers.
In November 2023, he returned to play for the Israel national team for the remaining UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches.
Eran Zahavi's Life Outside Football
Eran Zahavi was born and grew up in Rishon LeZion, Israel. His father moved to Israel from France, and his mother was born in Israel. He has an older brother named Avi.
Zahavi completed his mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He also has a French passport because his father was born in France. This helps him play for clubs in certain European leagues. Zahavi is a religious person and does not play football on Yom Kippur, which is an important Jewish holiday.
Career Statistics
Club
| 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 | 35 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 13 | — | 55 | 39 | |||
| Total | 67 | 40 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 15 | — | 96 | 65 | |||
| Career total | 504 | 289 | 52 | 34 | 28 | 13 | 99 | 50 | 2 | 2 | 685 | 388 | ||
International
| 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 | |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 74 | 35 | |
- Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zahavi goal.
Honours and Awards
Eran Zahavi has won many awards and trophies throughout his career:
Club Trophies
- Hapoel Tel Aviv
- Israeli Premier League: 2009–10
- Israel State Cup: 2009–10, 2010–11
- Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Israeli Premier League: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2023–24
- Israel State Cup: 2014–15
- Toto Cup: 2014–15, 2023–24, 2024–25
- Israel Super Cup: 2024
- PSV Eindhoven
- KNVB Cup: 2021–22
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2021
Individual Awards
- Israeli Premier League Most Assists: 2010–11
- Israeli Footballer of the Year: 2013–14, 2014–15
- Israeli Premier League Top scorer: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
- Chinese Super League Player of the Year: 2017
- Chinese Super League Top scorer: 2017, 2019
- Chinese Super League Team of the Year: 2017, 2019
- Eredivisie Player of the Month: March 2022
See also
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
- List of Israel international footballers
