Eyal Berkovic facts for kids
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Berkovic in 2020
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eyal Berkovic | ||
| Date of birth | 2 April 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Regba, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.70 m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1988 | Maccabi Haifa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1989–1996 | Maccabi Haifa | 128 | (25) |
| 1996 | → Southampton (loan) | 28 | (4) |
| 1996–1999 | West Ham United | 65 | (10) |
| 1999–2001 | Celtic | 32 | (9) |
| 2001 | → Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 2001–2004 | Manchester City | 56 | (7) |
| 2004–2005 | Portsmouth | 22 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 25 | (2) |
| Total | 367 | (61) | |
| National team | |||
| 1990 | Israel U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 1991–1993 | Israel U21 | 11 | (1) |
| 1992–2004 | Israel | 78 | (9) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2014–2015 | Hapoel Tel Aviv (general manager) | ||
| 2020–2021 | Hapoel Petah Tikva (general manager) | ||
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Eyal Berkovic (born April 2, 1972) is a famous Israeli former professional association footballer. He was known for being a talented attacking midfielder.
Eyal spent most of his playing career in England. He played for big teams like Southampton, West Ham United, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, and Portsmouth. He also played in Scotland for Celtic.
He started and finished his career in his home country, Israel. He played for Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Eyal played 78 games for the Israeli national team. Many people think he is one of Israel's best-ever players.
After he stopped playing, Eyal became a general manager for football clubs. He also owned a club for a while. Today, he is well-known as a television talk show host in Israel.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Eyal Berkovic was born in a small village called Regba in Israel. He comes from a family of Ashkenazi Jewish background. His younger brother, Nir Berkovic, also became a professional footballer.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Strong at Maccabi Haifa
Eyal began his football journey at Maccabi Haifa in 1989. He played there for seven years until 1996. During this time, he helped his team win the league title twice. They won in the 1990–91 and 1993–94 seasons.
Maccabi Haifa also won the State Cup three times with Eyal. In the 1990–91 season, they won both the league and the cup! His great playing earned him a spot on the Israeli national team. He was also named the Most Valuable Player for the 1993–94 season.
Making an Impact at Southampton
For the 1996–97 season, Eyal moved to England. He joined Southampton on a loan deal. He quickly showed how good he was. In only his second game, he helped Southampton win 6–3 against Manchester United. He scored two goals and set up three others in that exciting match.
Moving to West Ham United
The next season, Harry Redknapp, the manager, signed Eyal for West Ham United. He cost £1.75 million. West Ham fans really liked him. He became a fan favorite right away by scoring a winning goal against Tottenham Hotspur. This happened in his first game at their home stadium, Upton Park. He played 79 games for West Ham, scoring 12 goals.
Eyal was great at setting up goals for his teammates. Striker John Hartson scored many goals thanks to Eyal's passes. There was a disagreement between Eyal and John Hartson during a training session. This led to Hartson being fined and suspended for three games. Eyal joked about it, saying, "if my head had been a ball, it would have been in the top corner of the net."
Time in Scotland with Celtic
After his time at West Ham, Eyal moved to Scotland. He joined Celtic for £5.75 million in 1999. He played for Celtic for two years and scored ten goals. When a new manager, Martin O'Neill, took over, Eyal didn't play as much.
He then went back to England on loan to Blackburn Rovers for part of the 2000–01 season. He scored two goals and helped Blackburn get promoted to the Premier League. However, his loan move to Blackburn did not become a permanent deal.
Joining Manchester City
In July 2001, Eyal joined Manchester City. He cost about £1.5 million. He scored a goal in his first game for them, a 3–0 win against Watford. He got injured in his second game. When he came back, Manchester City started playing with two creative midfielders, including Eyal.
This worked very well! Manchester City won promotion to the Premier League with 99 points. They also scored a record 108 goals that season. Eyal was very important in a 3–1 win against local rivals Manchester United. He scored two goals in that game. Fans voted Eyal as Manchester City's player of the season in 2002–03.
Playing for Portsmouth
Eyal had a disagreement with his manager, Kevin Keegan, at Manchester City. So, in January 2004, he moved to Portsmouth for £500,000. His first game for Portsmouth was against his old team, Manchester City. Portsmouth won 4–2.
At Portsmouth, Eyal joined up again with his former manager from West Ham, Harry Redknapp. Redknapp called him a "special footballer." Eyal played a key role in helping Portsmouth stay in the Premier League. He scored his first goal against Tottenham Hotspur. He left Portsmouth in January 2005 to return to Israel.
Returning Home to Maccabi Tel Aviv
Eyal wanted to go back to Maccabi Haifa, but they didn't sign him. So, he decided to join their rivals, Maccabi Tel Aviv. He joined them for the 2005–06 season. This was Maccabi Tel Aviv's 100th anniversary, and they hoped to win the championship.
The team signed many star players, and Eyal announced they would win the league and cup. The team started well, but they couldn't keep up their good form. Eyal Berkovic announced he was retiring from professional football on May 7, 2006.
International Career
Eyal Berkovic played for the Israeli national team 78 times. He scored 9 goals for his country.
Media Career
After retiring from football, Eyal became a popular media personality. From 2007 to 2023, he hosted a popular sports radio show. He hosted it with Ofira Asayag.
In 2017, they started a weekly television show together called Ofira and Berkovic. This show was very popular and got high ratings. Eyal left the show in 2023. Soon after, he signed a new contract with another TV channel, becoming one of the highest-paid TV personalities in Israel.
Management Career
In 2006, Eyal was named the general manager of Maccabi Netanya. However, he only stayed for two months. He left because he had disagreements with the club's owner. During his short time, he signed 15 new players for the team.
In May 2014, he became the general manager of Hapoel Tel Aviv. He resigned in January 2015 due to disagreements with the club owner. On May 11, 2015, Eyal Berkovic became the owner of Hapoel Rishon LeZion, a club from a lower league. He paid $385,000 to own the club.
Honours and Achievements
Maccabi Haifa
- Liga Leumit: 1990–91, 1993–94
- Israel State Cup: 1990–91, 1992–93, 1994–95
- Toto Cup: 1993–94
West Ham
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999
Celtic
- Scottish League Cup: 1999–2000
Blackburn Rovers
- Football League First Division runner-up: 2000–01
Manchester City
- Football League First Division: 2001–02
Individual Awards
- Israel Footballer of the Year: 1994
- PFA Team of the Year: 2001–02 First Division
See also
In Spanish: Eyal Berkovic para niños
- List of Jewish footballers
- List of Jews in sports
