Gal Alberman joined Maccabi Tel Aviv in the summer of 2010 from German Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach during a major investment in the transfer market that looked to strengthen the defensive prowess of the club’s midfield. The 31 year-old Alberman came up through the ranks of the youth system at Maccabi Petah Tikva and in the 2000/01 season joined the senior squad, where he remained for five consecutive seasons and was among the players most identified with the club in the first half of the “noughties”.  Those were relatively good years for Maccabi Petah Tikva, who advanced to the finals of the coveted State Cup in 2001 and won the Toto (League) Cup in 2004.

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Defender Yuval Shpungin came up through the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth system and was earmarked as the future right back for the club and for the Israel National team. Shpungin joined the first team in the 2005/06 season when Maccabi Head Coach Nir Klinger called him up to the squad. After spending most of the first season on the bench, he established himself as the team’s starting right back for the next four years, scoring one league goal in the 2006/07 season against Hakoach Amidar Ramat Gan in a 2:0 victory. Shpungin also played a pivotal role in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s winning of the “Toto” (League) Cup in the 2008/09 season.

In 2009/10, Shpungin left the club to join Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia where he would spend three seasons and win the Cyprus State Cup on two occasions. In the 2013/14 campaign, Shpungin left Nicosia to join Belgian outfit Mons and played alongside Israeli Shlomi Arbeitman. After one season at Mons, Maccabi gave Shpungin the opportunity to return for a second term with the club as he signed a three-year deal to come back to his footballing roots.

Shpungin participated in 10 matches during the 2014/15 Treble winning season while playing a central role in the club’s 6:2 Israel State Cup win over Hapoel Beer Sheva. After beginning the 2015/16 season with the club, Shpungin assisted on Eran Zahavi’s game winning goal against Viktoria Plzen lifting Maccabi into the Champions League playoff round and helped the club edge out Basel to advance to the Group Stages. He made 22 appearances during the campaign.

In 2016/17 Shpungin played in 10 matches for the club and in the following season, 2017/18 the defender made 35 appearances and played in the Europa League group stages for the second straight campaign. The veteran won the Toto Cup and at the end of the season, his contract was not renewed as he left Maccabi.

The talented defender has also played for various Israeli national teams, starting with the youth sides and progressing to the senior squad, where he has made 27 appearances.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Spanish defender Carlos García Badías, who at the start of his career trained with the senior squad of the Spanish side RCD Espanyol under managers Javier Clemente and Luis Fernández, made his maiden senior team appearance in October 2003 against Real Madrid and played in a further two matches before being sent out on loan to third tier outfit Polideportivo Ejido, where he made 32 appearances and scored one goal.

In the summer of 2005 he was signed by manager Paco Flores of UD Almería, then playing in the Spanish second division, and with the exception of one year on loan at Real Betis this successful partnership continued through the 2011/12 season. Almería meanwhile was promoted to La Liga for the 2007/8 season and spent four years in Spain’s first division before being relegated once again at the end of the 2010/11 season. In their relegation year Almería reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey before being beaten 8-0 on aggregate by Barcelona, who then went on to lose to Real Madrid in a well-publicised final. Garcia has represented his native Spain in all their young international sides and reached the finals of the World Under-20 championships held in the United Emirates in 2003.

Playing for the first time outside his native Spain, Garcia settled in quickly at Maccabi Tel Aviv at the beginning of the championship 2012/13 season and before long had established his place not only in the starting eleven but also in the hearts of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans everywhere. Together with fellow defender Eytan Tibi, the powerful and steadfast Garcia was a rock of stability in Maccabi’s central defence and his 29 appearances helped the team in conceding the least number of goals of any club in the Israeli Premier League during the entire season. A championship season that was not only the first for the club in a decade but also the first in the Spaniard’s long career.

Tal Ben Haim was born in 1982 and grew up in the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth system joining the club as a six year-old. The central defender was an integral part of the 2001/02 Israel State Cup winning side as well as the 2002/03 Israeli League Championship team. In 2004 he began his European career with English side Bolton Wanderers where he would go on to make 88 appearances while scoring one goal. After three years with the club he moved to Chelsea for a season and then played for a number of English teams including Manchester City, Sunderland, Portsmouth, West Ham United, Queens Park Rangers and Charlton Athletic. He would also have a short spell in Belgium where he played for Standard Liege.

On June 3, 2015 Ben Haim signed a two year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv and returned to his roots helping the club advance to the group stages of the Champions League. He played a key defensive role in overcoming FC Basel, Viktoria Plzen and Hibernians FC to ensure the Yellow-and-Blue’s participation in the premier European club competition. The central defender made 29 appearances across all competitions.

In 2016/17, his second season since returning, Ben Haim made 48 appearances with five coming in the Europa League Group Stages.

The following campaign, 2017/18, the central defender helped the club advance to the Europa League Group Stages and was part of a rotation that included Eitan Tibi and Jean Sylvan Babin. Ben Haim scored a goal against Hapoel Raanana in the Toto Cup and made 35 appearances across all competitions including 19 in the league. His contract ended at the conclusion of the season.

Eitan Tibi made his debut in the top tier of Israeli football at Beitar Jerusalem and made his maiden appearance against Hakoach Amidar Ramat Gan in the 2006/07 season. He was loaned out to second league side Hapoel Ra’anana where he played in 33 league matches.  The following season, Tibi was once again loaned out, this time to Hakoach Amidar Ramat Gan who were then playing in the Israeli Premier (“Winner”) League. Tibi appeared in 28 games, scored four goals and reached the semi-finals of the coveted Israel State Cup.

After two years on loan, Tibi returned to Beitar Jerusalem in the 2009/10 season and appeared in 21 games. In 2010/11 he joined Belgian side Charleroi but spent most of the season on the bench before returning to Israel to join Ironi Kiryat Shmona during their historic championship 2011/12 season, making 23 league appearances. His success at Kiryat Shmona drew attention from Maccabi Tel Aviv and he joined the club at the start of the 2012/13 season.

Tibi’s transfer was completed just prior to the second match of the season and thereafter he missed just one other match for the balance of the season, due to yellow card accumulation. Over the course of his 34 league appearances he struck up a terrific partnership with Spanish defender Carlos Garcia as his steadfastness in central defense was a major contributing factor to Maccabi Tel Aviv’s championship in the 2012/13 season. After only his first season at Maccabi Tel Aviv, Eitan Tibi made an indelible mark on the club and secured a position on the Israeli national team, playing his first match in May 2012 in an international friendly against the Czech Republic.

His second campaign with the Yellow-and-Blue was as equally successful playing in 34 out of 36 league matches helping Maccabi win the league title by a margin of 16 points. Tibi also appeared in all of the club’s Europa League matches, playing in 12 European games total in the 2013/14 season.

In the 2014/15 season Tibi continued playing a major role in the club’s defense as Maccabi gave up only 30 goals over the course of the Treble winning year.

Tibi began the 2015/16 campaign in fine form as Maccabi defeated Viktoria Plzen away to advance to the Champions League playoff round and moved onto the Group Stages by aggregate over Basel. At the end of the season, the central defender signed a new contract with the club.

In 2016/17, Tibi made 49 appearances with 5 coming in the Group Stages of the Europa League.

Again in 2017/18, Tibi helped the Club advance to the Europa League, playing in the 8 qualifiers and 4 group stage matches. As part of a rotation with Tal Ben Haim and Jean-Sylvain Babin, Tibi made 42 appearances across all competitions and became the all time leader in matches played under Jordi Cruyff with 267.

Tibi was one of the key players in what was another amazing season (2019/20) for Maccabi, as he played an important part in the record-breaking defense. Tibi ended a four-year-goalless-run as he scored 3 goals in 31 appearances to mark his best year at the club. At the end of the season, Tibi lifted the league title in what was his 5^th championship at Maccabi and 7^th personal.

 

Dor Peretz was promoted from the club’s Under-19 team and given a place on the senior squad at the start of the 2014/15 Treble winning campaign. Peretz had joined Maccabi Tel Aviv from Hapoel Hod Hasharon in 2010 and moved his way up through the Youth Division teams until joining the Under-19s in the 2012/13 season. He spent two years with Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shachar”, interrupted only by an injury that kept him out of action for three months in his second season. During that time he scored four goals before joining the senior squad.

Peretz wasted no time in appearing in the starting eleven with 90 minutes against Maccabi Netanya in the “Toto” (League) Cup. He made two more League Cup appearances, against Hapoel Ra’anana and Hapoel Petach Tikva, Maccabi’s rival in the home-away quarter finals. In the second leg Peretz came off the bench and his smart long-range effort represented his first official goal as a member of the first team.

The 2015/16 season began with Peretz moving from the central defender position he played during the prior year to the midfield spot he plays now. Peretz came in as a substitute in both Basel legs and started the play that led to Eran Zahavi’s second goal of the away match. He also began the League campaign in the starting lineup. Peretz earned his first Champions League minutes at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea when he came on as a substitute. His first goal was against Maccabi Haifa in a 2:0 win at Sammy Ofer Stadium. He finished the season with 38 appearances, one goal and a pair of assists.

In 2016/17 he made 19 appearances under new head coach Shota Arveladze and picked up two assists. Peretz was then loaned out to Hapoel Haifa in January for the balance of the season.

The 2017/18 season saw Peretz become a key part of the Yellow & Blue and played the central defender role, replacing veteran Gal Alberman. His goal at Hapoel Beer Sheva helped defeat the Southern Reds 1:0 for their first ever home league loss at Turner Stadium. In total, #42 made 24 league appearances under Head Coach Jordi Cruyff.

Eran Zahavi, one of the most talented midfielders Israel has produced in recent years, began his career at Maccabi during the January 2013 transfer window after he returned to Israel from a year and a half at the Italian club Palermo. The 26 year-old Zahavi had played for two different clubs in Israel, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Ramat Hasharon, before his move to Italy in the summer of 2011. His maiden goal for the club came in the fourth matchweek of Serie A play against Cagliari Calcio, a match Palermo won 3-2. In his first season at Palermo, Zahavi made 20 league and two European appearances, scoring two goals and making three assists.

He missed the beginning of the 2012/13 season through an injury he recovered from before arriving at Maccabi Tel Aviv on a three and a half year deal. And it took him only one match to leave his mark on the club when he scored the second goal in a 2-0 victory over Maccabi Netanya in the eighth round of the prestigious State Cup competition. His goals were a significant contribution to the 2012/13 Championship season, scoring seven of them in the last two months of the season. His best performance came in a match against Bnei Yehuda when his brace brought Maccabi on level terms after they were trailing 2-0. Zahavi also scored twice against his old club Hapoel Tel Aviv and against Ironi Kiryat Shmona, but in separate matches.

Zahavi’s contribution to the title drive was considerable and at season’s end Zahavi celebrated not only Maccabi’s first championship in a decade but also the second title of his career. His excellent form in the second half of Maccabi’s season also brought about his return to head coach Eli Gutman’s Israeli national side. His first appearance in close to a year came in March of 2013 in Israel’s 0-2 victory over Northern Ireland in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. In all Zahavi has been capped thirteen times for Israel, the first of which against Malta in the European Cup qualifiers in 2012.

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Dan Glazer is a product of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department and in the 2017/18 season the midfielder went on loan to Maccabi Netanya. In the summer of 2018 Glazer returned to the club for its preseason training camp.

At the start of the 2018/19 season Glazer,  who captained all the young teams he played at, returned to the club. It did not take long before the combative holding midfielder made the position his own in what was his breakthrough season in Yellow and Blue that resulted with the championship. Glazer made 39 appearances in all competitions, adding two assists and scoring his senior debut goal at the match the championship plate was presented to Maccabi – following the 3-0 victory over Maccabi Netanya.

Glazer continued his improvement during the 2019/20 season as his outstanding form throughout the season earned him the League’s Player of the season award. He led Maccabi to a second d championship in succession and the 24^th in the club’s history making 40 appearances in all competitions and adding three assists.

Ben Chaim returned for a second spell at Maccabi Tel Aviv in July 2020 after spending three years with Sparta Prague.

A product of Maccabi Petah Tikva’s Youth Department, Tal Ben Chaim, made his senior top-flight debut against Bnei Yehuda in May 2008. Ben Chaim who scored 22 goals in all competitions for Petah Tikva’s U-19’s side, scored his debut senior goal against Hapoel Tel Aviv on the penultimate match of the season. After a barren season in which he only scored 3 goals for Petah Tikva’s youth team but none for the senior side, the 2009/10 campaign proved to be Ben Chaim’s breakthrough season as he scored 10 goals and continued with 13 goals in the following 2010/11 campaign. Having scored a total of 29 goals for Petah Tikva, Ben Chaim joined Hapoel Tel Aviv in the summer of 2012 and made his debut in a Toto Cup derby against Maccabi and finished the season with 9 goals in all competitions.

Ben Chaim then joined Maccabi ahead of the 2013/14 campaign and made his first appearance in Yellow and Blue under Paulo Souza during the Champions League qualifier against Hungarian side Gyori. Ben Chaim, opened his account the following week as he scored in the return leg against Gyori before helping the side reach the Europa League group stage and the round of 32 in the competition. The talented winger added four more league goals and five assists which helped him celebrate his first league title and Maccabi’s second championship in succession.

Ben Chaim played an integral part in Maccabi’s historic 2014/15 treble winning season under Pako Ayestaran as he scored 11 goals and added 7 assists in 48 appearances in all competitions. In the summer of 2015, Ben Chaim helped Maccabi qualify to the Champions League group stage under Slavisa Jokanovic and played in all the matches against Chelsea, Porto and Dynamo Kiev. The 2015/16 season however ended in a sour note with the loss of the championship to Hapoel Be’ersheva by a solitary point and a State Cup final defeat to Maccabi Haifa, but Ben Chaim racked-up 13 goals and 4 assists in 50 appearances in all competitions.

Ben Chaim reached the Europa League group stage with Maccabi for the second time in the 2016/17 season, as the winger ended the campaign with 19 goals and 7 assists in 50 appearances in all competitions which prompted his transfer to Sparta Prague in July 2017.

 

The 23 year-old defender Omri Ben Harush joined the ranks of the Maccabi Netanya youth system at age eight and made his maiden appearance for the senior squad before the start of the 2009/10 season in a League (“Toto”) Cup match against Beitar Jerusalem. In his first season he scored two goals and made just 16 appearances, but the following season he upped that total to 35 and firmly established himself as a mainstay in the Netanya squad. Of the equally noteworthy 41 appearances he made in the 2011/12 season, his most memorable one will be for scoring the last goal at the mythological “Kufsa” Stadium in Netanya, an injury time winner against Bnei Sakhnin.

Last April he registered his 100th appearance for his old club. He also made 21 appearances for Israel’s Under-21s, including all of the games in the 2013 European Under-21 Championships held here in Israel in June. He has also played for Israel’s senior squad, making his maiden appearance in Israel’s defeat to Greece in September 2011. He arrived at Maccabi Tel Aviv at the start of the 2013/14 season just after the club had begun their European campaign. His maiden appearance for Maccabi was in the third round of the Champions League qualifiers when he came off the bench in the away leg against FC Basel.

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