Omer Atzili
Atzili captaining[1] Beitar Jerusalem in 2015
Personal information
Full name Omer Yosef Atzili[2]
Date of birth (1993-07-27) 27 July 1993 (age 30)
Place of birth Holon, Israel[3]
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[4][5]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team
 Al Ain
Number 7
Youth career
2002–2009 Maccabi Tel Aviv
2010–2013 Hapoel Rishon LeZion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Hapoel Rishon LeZion 37 (7)
2013–2016 Beitar Jerusalem 78 (14)
2016–2017 Granada 9 (0)
2017–2020 Maccabi Tel Aviv 67 (29)
2020–2021 APOEL 11 (0)
2021–2023 Maccabi Haifa 91 (46)
2023– Al Ain 12 (3)
International career‡
2012 Israel U19 3 (0)
2013 Israel U21 3 (0)
2016–2022 Israel 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:52, 12 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 September 2022

Omer Yosef Atzili[2] (or Atsili,[6] Hebrew: עומר יוסף אצילי; born 27 July 1993) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or as a winger for UAE Pro League club Al Ain.

Atzili was a full international from 2016 to 2022, earning six senior caps for his native Israel.

Early life

Atzili was born and raised in Holon, Israel, to an Israeli family of Ashkenazi Jewish (Romanian-Jewish) descent.[7][8][9] His maternal grandfather was born in Bucharest, Romania.[9]

He also holds a Romanian passport, on account of his Ashkenazi Jewish ancestors, which eases the move to certain European football leagues.[10][9][7][8]

Club career

Atzili started his career at Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv's youth setup in 2002. In 2010, he moved to Israeli side Hapoel Rishon LeZion, spending the last season out of three with them playing for both the youth and senior squads.

Hapoel Rishon LeZion

Atzili made his senior debut on 30 July 2011, coming on as a 77th minute substitute in a 2–1 home win against Hapoel Be'er Sheva, during the Israel Toto Cup for the Israeli Premier League clubs.[11]

Atzili scored his first senior goal in the Israeli Premier League on 12 May 2012, in a 2–1 home loss against Hapoel Acre;[12] his side also suffered relegation in the end of the season. He subsequently became an important unit for the club in Liga Leumit, scoring six goals as his side missed out promotion in the play-offs; highlights included a brace in a 2–2 draw at Maccabi Petah Tikva on 10 May 2013.[13] Atzili helped his side win the 2012–13 Israel Toto Cup for the Israeli Liga Leumit clubs.

Beitar Jerusalem

On 30 July 2013, Atzili signed a four-year contract with Israeli Premier League club Beitar Jerusalem in the main category.[14] He made his debut for the club on 24 August by starting in a 2–0 home loss against Hapoel Be'er Sheva,[15] and was mainly used as a substitute during his first season.

Atzili only became an undisputed starter for Beitar Jerusalem in the 2015–16 season, where he scored a career-best seven goals.[16]

He also captained Beitar Jerusalem.[17][1]

Granada

On 31 August 2016, Atzili signed a four-year deal with Spanish La Liga side Granada CF,[18] for a rumoured fee of €750,000.[19] He made his debut in the La Liga on 11 September, starting in a 2–1 home loss against SD Eibar.[20]

Atzili played 11 total league and cup matches, starting five, for the Andalusian club. He did not manage to score, the club was relegated at the end of the 2016–17 season and Atzili left Granada.[21]

Maccabi Tel Aviv

On 20 June 2017, Atzili signed a four-year deal with Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv.[22]

APOEL

On 23 August 2020, Atzili signed a two-year contract with the Cypriot First Division club APOEL.[23] In the mid-season transfer window he was released from his contract, leaving on 5 January 2021.[24]

Maccabi Haifa

On 13 January 2021, Atzili signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Haifa.[25]

On 23 August 2022, Atzili assisted his team's last qualifying goal during their 2022–23 UEFA Champions League Play-offs second leg against Serbian side Red Star Belgrade, with a 90th minute free kick that made a rival player score an own goal, earning Maccabi Haifa a 2–2 away draw[26] (5–4 on aggregate),[27][26] and a place in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage.[28] On 11 October 2022, Atzili scored both his first and second Champions League goals, by netting a brace in a 2–0 home win over Italian side Juventus, to be his club's first victory in the competition since the 2002–03 season.[29] He also received UEFA's Player of the Match award for this game.[30]

Al Ain

On 14 June 2023, he signed a three-year deal with UAE Pro League club Al Ain, becoming the first Israeli Jew to play in an Arab country. His annual salary is estimated to be around $1.9 million, excluding any victory bonuses.[31] During his presentation, he was introduced as a Romanian player rather than an Israeli. Prior to accepting the transfer, he had specific requests related to his faith, Judaism, allowing him the freedom to abstain from playing or training during various Israeli and Jewish holidays and memorial days. Additionally, a clause in the contract states that he will not participate in away matches outside the Emirates for the AFC Asian Champions League. This provision is in consideration of the potential encounters with clubs from countries that are extremely hostile against Jews and especially against his native Israel, such as Iran, Iraq, Lebanon or Syria, among several other Muslim or Arab countries in the AFC competitions. A great number of Emiratis expressed their opposition to his signing as well.[32][33]

International career

He represented Israel internationally at youth levels from under-19 to under-21.[34]

Atzili was first called-up to the Israeli senior national team on 31 August 2016, for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers match against Italy.[35] He then made his senior debut with Israel on 5 September 2016, substituting Nir Bitton in a 1–3 home loss against Italy.[36]

On 10 November 2022, Atzili announced his retirement from the Israel national team.[37]

Personal life

He married his Israeli girlfriend Or (née Ben David) in 2018.[38] They have a son who was born in 2018,[39] and a daughter born in 2020.[40]

In June 2020, Atzili was investigated along with Dor Micha for having consensual intercourse with two minors aged under sixteen. Following the investigation, they were both removed from their club by Maccabi Tel Aviv owner Mitchell Goldhar.[41] The State Prosecutor’s Office in September 2020 officially closed the cases against them.[42][43] Police sources told the media that the reason cited for the closure was that the players provided proof, that each of the two girls had concealed the fact that they were minors at the time.[42][43] Two years later, resurfaced texts revealed in 2022 showed that the players allegedly knew that the teens were underage students back then, which according to Haaretz contradicts previous claims.[44] Each of them have issued several apologies over the years for any misconduct since the initial incident.[45][46][47]

Career statistics

As of match played 7 March 2024[48]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Granada 2016–17 La Liga 9 0 2 0 – – – 11 0
Maccabi Tel Aviv 2017–18 Israeli Premier League 17 10 0 0 3 0 11[c] 2 – 31 12
2018–19 Israeli Premier League 29 11 4 0 2 1 7[c] 1 – 42 13
2019–20 Israeli Premier League 21 8 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 8
Total 67 29 9 0 5 1 18 3 0 0 99 33
Apoel 2020–21 Cypriot First Division 11 0 1 1 – 3[c] 2 – 15 3
Maccabi Haifa 2020–21 Israeli Premier League 21 4 3 2 – – – 24 6
2021–22 Israeli Premier League 33 20 5 2 2 0 12[d] 5 1[e] 0 53 27
2022–23 Israeli Premier League 35 22 4 1 1 1 12[f] 2 1[e] 1 53 27
Total 89 46 10 5 3 1 24 7 2 1 89 60
Al Ain 2023–24 UAE Pro League 12 3 1 0 5 2 2[g] 1 — 20 6
Career total 188 78 23 6 13 4 47 13 2 1 273 102
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey, Israel State Cup, Cypriot Cup, UAE President's Cup
  2. ^ Includes Toto Cup, UAE League Cup
  3. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, ten appearances and four goals in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ a b Appearance in Israel Super Cup
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  7. ^ Appearances in AFC Champions League

Honours

Hapoel Rishon LeZion

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Haifa

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל - פרטי משחק".
  2. ^ a b "Israel - O. Atzili - Profile with news, career statistics and history". Int.soccerway.com.
  3. ^ "OMER ATZILI | Delantero | Israel".
  4. ^ "Omer Atzili". Al Ain FC. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Omer Atzili". UAE Pro League. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Omar Atsili - Stats and titles won - 21/22". Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Maccabi players visit children's hospital". Maccabi-tlv.co.il. 11 September 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Israeli duo enjoy Europa League wins". Jewishnews.timesofisrael.com.
  9. ^ a b c "Cine e Omer Atzili, golgeterul cu origini românești care va juca împotriva naționalei" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 9 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Omer Atzili". Worldfootball.net.
  11. ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל - פרטי משחק".
  12. ^ "Hapoel Rishon Letzion 1–2 Hapoel Akko". Israel Football Association. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  13. ^ "Maccabi Ironi Petah Tikva 2–2 Hapoel Rishon Letzion". Israel Football Association. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  14. ^ "בית"ר ירושלים: עומר אצילי חתם לארבע שנים" [Beitar Jerusalem: Omer Atzili signs for four years] (in Hebrew). Walla!. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  15. ^ "Beitar Jerusalem 0–2 Hapoel Beer Sheva". Israel Football Association. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  16. ^ "Atzili Omer – 2015/2016 season". Israel Football Association. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  17. ^ ""בחלומות הכי גרועים לא חלמתי על זה"". 25 April 2016.
  18. ^ "Omer Atzili, polivalencia para el Granada CF" [Omer Atzili, versatility for Granada CF] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  19. ^ "El israelí Omer Atzili ficha por el Granada" [Israeli Omer Atzili signs for Granada] (in Spanish). Marca. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  20. ^ "El Granada, ni con uno más" [Granada, not even with one more] (in Spanish). Marca. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  21. ^ Yepes, Sergio (21 September 2017). "La resurrección de Atzili en Israel" [Atzili's resurrection in Israel]. Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Azili Signs 4-Year-Deal". Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  23. ^ "רשמי: עומר אצילי חתם לשנתיים באפואל ניקוסיה" [Official: Omar Atzili signed for two years at Apoel Nicosia]. one.co.il (in Hebrew). 23 August 2020.
  24. ^ "לקראת החתימה בחיפה: אצילי שוחרר מאפואל" [Ahead of the signing in Haifa: Atzili was released from Apoel]. one.co.il (in Hebrew). 5 January 2021.
  25. ^ "ברוך הבא, עומר" (in Hebrew). Maccabi Haifa F.C. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  26. ^ a b "Crvena zvezda-M. Haifa | UEFA Champions League 2022/23".
  27. ^ "M. Haifa-Crvena zvezda | UEFA Champions League 2022/23".
  28. ^ "Maccabi Haifa advances to Champions League group stage for first time since 2009". The Times of Israel.
  29. ^ "M. Haifa 2–0 Juventus". UEFA. 11 October 2022.
  30. ^ @mhfootballclub (11 October 2022). "POTM 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ^ i24NEWS (9 June 2023). "UAE club announces transfer of Israeli soccer player Omer Atzili". I24news. Retrieved 17 June 2023.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ i24NEWS (15 June 2023). "Israeli soccer star Omer Atzili presented in UAE as Romanian player". I24news. Retrieved 17 June 2023.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ "Israeli soccer star faces online abuse after transfer to UAE team". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  34. ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל – Omer ATZILI".
  35. ^ "Levy drafts in three uncapped players for Israel's World Cup opener". The Jewish Chronicle. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  36. ^ "Italy control Israel for comfortable win; Giorgio Chiellini sent off". ESPN. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  37. ^ "Omar Atzili announced his retirement from the Israeli national team". 10 November 2022.
  38. ^ "היה שמח במיוחד: צפו ברגעי הטירוף בחתונה של עומר אצילי". Sport1.maariv.co.il. 3 January 2018.
  39. ^ "בשעה טובה: בן בכור נולד לעומר אצילי ואור בן דוד". Sport1.maariv.co.il. 15 May 2018.
  40. ^ טל, דודי (6 July 2020). "השחקן עומר אצילי מראשון לציון". השקמה ראשון לציון (in Hebrew).
  41. ^ "Tel Aviv Soccer Team Dismisses Two Players Accused of Having Sex With Minors". Haaretz. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  42. ^ a b Kaplan Sommer, Allison (31 July 2022). "The Scandal Shocking Israel: Soccer Stars, Underage Girls and Drugs". Haaretz. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  43. ^ a b Conrad, Valentin (2 August 2022). "Missbrauchsskandal in der israelischen Liga". 11Freunde (in German). Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  44. ^ "The Scandal Shocking Israel: Soccer Stars, Underage Girls and Drugs". Haaretz. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  45. ^ "N12 - דור מיכה ועומר אצילי מתנצלים: "שגינו, כשלנו"". 24 July 2020.
  46. ^ "עומר אצילי יזומן לנבחרת אחרי שהתנצל: "טעיתי בשיקול הדעת באירוע שלא היה צריך לקרות"". הארץ.
  47. ^ "עומר אצילי: "אני לא קורבן, האחריות שלי, מתנצל על הכל"". Ynet. 29 July 2022.
  48. ^ Omer Atzili at Soccerway

External links

Al Ain FC – current squad
Awards
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