Itzik Zohar came up through the ranks of the Maccabi Jaffa youth system but moved over to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the summer of 1988 after just one year on the senior squad. This gifted midfielder, capable of long-range shots of remarkable intensity and precision, made his name in large part due to his accurate and deadly free kicks. Zohar made his first Maccabi appearance in September 1988 in the "Champion of Champions" competition in which Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated municipal arch rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv 3-0. Zohar scored his maiden goal just after his 18th birthday in a 1-1 draw against Shimshon Tel Aviv in November 1988.
In his first season, the young Zohar did not score many goals but developed quickly into a mature player and in the championship season of 1991/92 his talent was on full and explosive display. He scored 17 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions including one in the championship match against Bnei Yehuda, helping to return the title to Maccabi Tel Aviv after 13 long years. In the following season he continued his excellent form with 18 goals and triumph in the Toto (League) Cup. But it was in the 1993/94 season that Zohar raised his game to its highest level, scoring 23 league goals and another four in State Cup competition, establishing himself at the top of the Israeli footballing world as one of the season's finest performers. Unfortunately for Zohar his efforts proved insufficient to catapult his club past Maccabi Haifa, who enjoyed a spectacular season that saw them play all 39 league matches without a loss and pip Maccabi tel Aviv to the championship. In the coveted State Cup, however, Zohar's goal from one of his typically spectacular free kicks did help power Maccabi Tel Aviv past Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-0 in the derby-style final.
His excellent season earned him a transfer to Royal Antwerp F.C., then in the first division of the Belgian football league, where he spent one season and scored six goals before returning to Maccabi Tel Aviv to play his role in the famous double of the 1995/96 season. His best moments that season were his unforgettable goal in the 2-0 Derby triumph and his goal in the semi-final of the prestigious State Cup against Maccabi Haifa. At the end of that season Zohar left Maccabi Tel Aviv to join Beitar Jerusalem but he returned once more in the 1998/99 season hampered by an injury that put him out of play for a large part of the season. In all, as a Maccabi midfielder he scored 70 league goals and won two championships and two State Cups. He made 31 appearances for the Israeli national side and scored nine goals, including a brace in Israel's 2-5 loss to Austria during the nation's first appearance in European international competition in October 1992.
picture courtesy of the Israel Football Association archives
