Gai Assulin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gai Assulin

Assulin with Barcelona in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Gai Yigaal Assulin
Date of birth	(1991-04-09) 9 April 1991 (age 34)
Place of birth	Nahariya, Israel
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Winger, attacking midfielder
Youth career
1997–1999	Hapoel Haifa
1999–2003	Beitar Nes Tubruk
2003–2007	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2010	Barcelona B	67	(13)
2009–2010	Barcelona	0	(0)
2010–2012	Manchester City	0	(0)
2012	→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	7	(0)
2012–2013	Racing Santander	25	(3)
2013–2014	Granada	0	(0)
2013–2014	Mallorca	32	(3)
2014–2015	Hapoel Tel Aviv	6	(0)
2015–2016	Sabadell		(0)
2018	Kairat	6	(0)
2019–2021	Politehnica Iași	14	(2)
2021	Crema
International career
2008–2013	Israel U21	22	(0)
2008	Israel	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 February 2021

Gai Yigaal Assulin (Hebrew: גיא יגאל אסולין; born on April 9, 1991) is an Israeli professional footballer. He plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder. A winger plays on the sides of the field, while an attacking midfielder plays closer to the opponent's goal. His last team was Serie D club Crema in Italy.

When he was a teenager, Gai Assulin was part of famous clubs like Barcelona and Manchester City. However, he did not play in a league match for either of their main teams. After that, he played for many different teams, mostly in Spain. This means he became a "journeyman" in football.

Assulin played 22 times for the Israel national under-21 team. In 2008, he played once for the senior Israel team. He became the youngest player ever to play for Israel's senior national team.

Early Life and Football Start

Gai Assulin was born in Nahariya, Israel. He started playing football at a young age. His first club was Hapoel Haifa.

In 1999, when he was seven years old, he joined the youth teams of Beitar Tubruk. These are special teams for young players learning the sport.

In 2003, when Gai was only 12, his coach, Shlomo Scharf, suggested something big. He told Gai's parents that their son should try out for FC Barcelona. Barcelona is one of the biggest football clubs in the world. Gai was accepted into their youth academy, which is a special school for talented young players.

Gai Assulin's Club Career

Playing for Barcelona

In August 2007, Assulin moved up to the FC Barcelona B team. This is Barcelona's reserve team, where young players develop before joining the main team. He was offered a new contract, which was a "senior contract." This type of contract is usually given to players after they turn 16. It also included a €20 million "buy-out clause." This means another club would have to pay €20 million to sign him.

At the end of the 2007–08 season, Barcelona B won their league. Their manager, Pep Guardiola, then became the manager of the main Barcelona team. People thought Assulin might also move up to the first team with Guardiola.

Gai missed most of the 2008–09 season because of an injury. But he was invited to play in pre-season matches with the main Barcelona team. He made his first official start in a match called the Copa del Rey on October 28, 2009. This is a big cup competition in Spain. He played for 56 minutes before being replaced.

On July 1, 2010, Assulin left Barcelona. The club offered him a new contract, but they could not promise him a spot on the main team. They wanted him to stay with Barcelona B. Gai wanted to play for the first team, so he decided to leave. He also had some difficulties with the Barcelona B manager, Luis Enrique.

Time at Manchester City

On December 14, 2010, Assulin joined Premier League club Manchester City. The Premier League is the top football league in England. He signed a contract for two and a half years. He hoped to play alongside his former Barcelona teammate, Yaya Touré.

In early 2011, Assulin played his first game for City's Reserve squad. He came on as a substitute in a 5–1 win against Newcastle United.

By November 2011, Assulin wanted to play more first-team games. He said he was ready to be "loaned out" from Manchester City. A loan means a player temporarily moves to another team to play. He had not yet played for Manchester City's main team. He was also too old for the under-19 team.

Six days later, a team called Barnsley from the Football League Championship (a league below the Premier League) announced a loan deal for him. However, the deal did not happen because of some fitness issues.

On February 9, 2012, Assulin scored a goal for Manchester City's Elite Development Squad. This was in a 4–2 win against their rivals, Manchester United. He scored the equalizing goal and helped set up another.

Eight days later, Assulin joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a one-month loan. Brighton was also in the Championship. He made his debut for Brighton on February 22, 2012. After playing in a few matches, his loan was extended until the end of the season.

Manchester City released Assulin on May 22, 2012. This meant he was free to find a new club.

Later Career Clubs

On July 11, 2012, Assulin signed a one-year deal with Racing de Santander. This team had recently moved down to a lower league in Spain. He scored his first goal for them on September 15, helping them win 3–0.

On July 5, 2013, Assulin signed with Granada CF. He was immediately loaned to Hércules CF for the season. He played regularly for Hércules, but the team ended up moving down to an even lower league.

On August 15, 2014, Assulin signed a two-year deal with RCD Mallorca, another team in the Spanish second division.

In October 2015, Assulin tried out for Rangers in Scotland. However, the manager did not offer him a contract. After a short time playing for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel, he went back to Spain. He signed for CE Sabadell FC in the third tier of Spanish football on August 10, 2016. He left the club in January 2018.

On February 13, 2018, FC Kairat from Kazakhstan signed Assulin for two years. But his contract was cancelled by mutual agreement on March 30.

On September 26, 2019, Assulin signed a two-year contract with Politehnica Iași in Romania.

On February 13, 2021, he joined Crema, a club in Italy's Serie D. He left the club at the end of that season.

International Football Career

Gai Assulin was chosen to play for the Israel national team in a friendly match against Chile. A friendly match is a game played for practice, not for a competition. This match was on March 26, 2008.

He made his debut for Israel as a substitute in the 78th minute. This was just 14 days before his 17th birthday. By playing in this game, he broke the record for the youngest player to ever debut for Israel's national team. He was 195 days younger than the previous record holder, Ben Sahar.

He also played for the Israeli under-21 national team. He helped them prepare for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, which was held in Israel.

Career Statistics

Club

See also

In Spanish: Gai Assulin para niños

• List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players
• List of Jewish footballers