History in short
Eli Drikes was born on October 13, 1964 in Petach Tikva and joined Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth department at a very early age. At 17 years of age, the striker began training with the First Team under the watchful eye of coach Yaakov Grundman and just a year later he made his debut against Bnei Yehuda in a goalless draw.
In 1983 Drikes scored his first goal in a 2:1 victory over Maccabi Netanya and over the course of the 1980’s he was also loaned to Maccabi Netanya and Maccabi Yavne. His first title with the Yellow & Blue came in the 1986/87 season when he scored a brace plus a bicycle kick goal in the 113th minute of overtime in one of the all-time great State Cup Finals. In 1991/92, he returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv from his loan to Maccabi Netanya and began his golden age wearing the Yellow & Blue under coach Avram Grant and won two league championships, the State Cup and a Toto Cup title to go along with the Double with coach Dror Kashtan.
After 514 appearances across all competitions and 159 goals, Drikes left the Club and played his final season with Maccabi Herzliya. He also served as interim coach in 2005 with Maccabi. The striker also played 27 matches with the Israel National Team and scored four goals.
Top Moment
Of the 113 league goals that Eli Drikes scored with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he’ll never forget the Derby that took place on October 10, 1992 when he recorded a hat-trick in a 4:0 win over Hapoel.
Career Highlights & Awards
Championships: 1991/92,1994/95, 1995/96
State Cup: 1986/87, 1987/88, 1993/94, 1995/96
Toto Cup: 1992/93, 1998/99
