Andre Geraldes de Barros, joined Maccabi Tel Aviv FC on a one-year-loan-deal with an option to make the move permanent after an agreement was reached with his club Sporting Lisbon CP.

Geraldes made his first footballing footsteps in the youth academy of his boyhood town Maia in the Porto region before joining Rio Ave on a free transfer and spending loan spells at Chaves for which he made his senior debut at the age of 19 and Aves the following season. Geraldes left Portugal for the first time in the 2012/13 season to join forces with fellow Portuguese coach Carlos Carvalhal at Istanbul Basakshir and made 32 appearances at the Turkish club. After 18 months in Turkey, Gerlades, returned to his native country and joined Belenenses SAD on-loan in January 2014 before signing for Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon. One season with Sporting B’ led Geraldes to return for a second loan-spell with Belenenses whom he helped reach the Europa League group stages making a total of 46 appearances in all competitions that season. Geraldes spent loan spells with Vitoria Setubal and a third stint with Belenenses before leaving Portugal to join Sporting Gijon of the Spanish second division where he played along with Nick Blackman.

The Portuguese right-back joined Maccabi on loan from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2019 and slotted almost instantly into Vladimir Ivic’s defense. He made 35 appearances in all competitions during the 2019/20 season, playing a pivotal role to Maccabi’s water-tight-defense but also contributed with three assists on the way to lifting the league title.

Geraldes returned to wear Yellow and Blue on January 21 after  was released by APOEL Nicosia and signed a contract until the end of the 2021/22 season with an option to extend by a further season.

The Greek goalkeeper joined Maccabi in the summer of 2019 and won the Super Cup before suffering an injury at the start of the season. Gianniotis made 3 appearances in the league and 10 in all competitions as well as winning the 24^th league championship in the club’s history.

 

 

On June 2019 the 26-year-old Greek keeper joined Maccabi on a free transfer from Olympiacos. Gianniotis, joined Olympiacos as a 19-year-old and gained experience on loan at APO Fostiras and PAS Giannina before Olympiacos loaned him out to Panionios. The tall custodian was then voted keeper of the season at 2016/17 while similar success the following season at Atromitos earned him the best keeper award once again this time with another club. Gianniotis, who will wear the number 1 shirt at Maccabi, made 2 international appearances for the Greek national team and has 4 more appearances for his country’s U21 side.

 

Midfielder Moshe Schweitzer played an important role in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s successes at the end of the 1970’s, one of the most dazzling periods in the club’s history. Son of the late and legendary Israeli coach David (Dovir) Schweitzer, who spent most of his playing and coaching career at Maccabi’s municipal rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv, Moshe matured as a player in the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division. In the 1972/73 season he was brought into the senior squad by another legendary coach, the late Yitzchak Shnior, and made his maiden appearance against Maccabi Netanya in November 1972. He finished the season in the first team and then moved on to Hapoel Petah Tikva, where he spent four successful seasons before returning to Maccabi a mature and seasoned football player.

In his first season as a returning Maccabi midfielder, Schweitzer impressed with his technical skills and his goal-scoring and play-making abilities. In the 1977/78 season he racked up eleven goals in just 26 appearances in all competitions, promising him a fixed place in the starting eleven and even more appearances in his following season. And indeed, he maintained his level the year after, scoring 15 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions, including braces against Hapoel Hadera, Beitar Netanya and Hapoel Rishon Lezion. In consort with fellow players like Giora Spiegel, Yaron Oz and Meir Nimni, Schweitzer provided the club with a particularly fierce attacking force. His goals helped Schweitzer to celebrate his only league championship as a player for Maccabi Tel Aviv, who pipped Beitar Jerusalem to the 1978/79 title.

Schweitzer continued to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv until the end of the 1982/83 season, scoring at season’s end in two of the most memorable matches of the time. He scored in the exciting semi-final of the prestigious State Cup against Maccabi Haifa that ended in a 4-4 draw and was finally decided, in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s favour, in a penalty shoot-out. He then went on to score in the final that Maccabi lost 3-2, thanks to a handled goal from Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Gili Landau, still a subject of much controversy even today. As a Maccabi player Schweitzer scored all told 61 goals in 203 appearances in all competitions. The talented midfielder also scored eight goals in 23 appearances for the national Israeli team.

photographs courtesy of the Israel Football Association archives