Liel Abada (Hebrew: ליאל עבדה, /lɪˈɛl/ li-EL; born 3 October 2001) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a winger or a forward for MLS side Charlotte and the Israel national team.
![]() Abada playing for Celtic in 2021 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 3 October 2001 | ||
Place of birth | Petah Tikva, Israel | ||
Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Winger, forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Charlotte | ||
Number | 11 | ||
Youth career | |||
2006–2014 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | ||
2014–2019 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019–2021 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 67 | (20) |
2021–2024 | Celtic | 79 | (21) |
2024– | Charlotte FC | 16 | (4) |
International career‡ | |||
2017 | Israel U16 | 6 | (1) |
2017–2018 | Israel U17 | 21 | (2) |
2018 | Israel U18 | 4 | (0) |
2018–2019 | Israel U19 | 12 | (4) |
2020–2022 | Israel U21 | 8 | (1) |
2021– | Israel | 10 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 June 2023 |
Early and personal life
editAbada was born in Petah Tikva, Israel, to a family of Mizrahi Jewish descent.[2] At the age of 13, his first manager in Maccabi Petah Tikva took Abada's father Ronen and him to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah in Barcelona.[3] His younger brother Orel Abada is also a footballer who plays for Hapoel Ra'anana.[3] Abada is observant and does not play football on the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur.[4]
Except for a 3-month period in 2022,[5] he has been in a relationship with Israeli Bar Rashti since 2020.[6]
Club career
editMaccabi Petah Tikva
editAbada made his professional debut for Maccabi Petah Tikva in the Israel State Cup on 22 August 2019, coming on as a 63rd minute substitute against Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan, in a match that ended in a 4–1 home win for his team.[7] On 9 September 2019, he scored his first senior Israeli Liga Leumit goal in the 90th minute against Bnei Sakhnin, that finished as a 1–1 home draw for Maccabi Petah Tikva.[8] On 30 August 2020, Abada scored his first Israeli Premier League goal, which coincided with his team's 86th minute winning goal, earning his side a 1–2 away victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv.[9]
Celtic
editOn 14 July 2021, Scottish Premiership club Celtic announced the signing of Abada on a five-year contract, for a reported fee of £3.6 million.[10] On 20 July 2021, he scored on his debut in the first leg of Celtic's Champions League second round qualifying match against Danish side Midtjylland, that ended in a 1–1 home draw.[11] On 21 August 2021, in his third Scottish Premiership appearance, Abada scored both his and Celtic's first two league goals, that led to a 6–0 home victory over St. Mirren.[12] On 4 November 2021, he scored the winning goal for Celtic in a 2021–22 UEFA Europea League Group stage match against Hungarian side Ferencváros.[13] On 26 December 2021, Abada netted an early brace in a 2021–22 Scottish Premiership match against St. Johnstone, earning his team a 1–3 away win.[14] Abada won the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award for 2021–22.[15]
On 28 August 2022, Abada scored a hat-trick and assisted one goal, in a 9–0 away win against Dundee United in the 2022–23 Scottish Premiership.[16] On 3 September 2022, he scored both the first and third goal against Rangers in an Old Firm derby league match, that ended in a 4–0 home win for Celtic.[17] Abada made his debut UEFA Champions League Group stage appearance on 6 September 2022, opening against Spanish side Real Madrid.[18] On 19 October 2022, he scored a brace in the span of 11 minutes and later on added an assist against Motherwell in the 2022–23 Scottish League Cup quarter-finals, to lead his team to a 4–0 away victory.[19] In January 2023, Abada was featured in the official 40-man list composed by UEFA.com – which named the best young players in the continent that: "have the potential to take European football by storm in 2023".[20][21]
On 1 September 2023, Abada signed a new four-year contract with Celtic.[22] His career with Celtic was affected by the Israel–Hamas war, as the Green Brigade fans group demonstrated their support for the Palestinians.[23][24] Abada met with Celtic senior management after these displays, which had led to him being criticised in Israel, and Celtic issued a statement saying that it was "inappropriate" for the fans to show those messages.[25] Abada was injured at the time the war started, and he returned to the team in December.[26] Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said in February 2024 that it was "challenging" for Abada to produce his best form in the circumstances,[26] and then confirmed that Abada could leave the club.[27]On 8 March 2024 Abada left Celtic for a fee of £10 million.
Charlotte FC
editAbada moved to Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC on 8 March 2024.[28]
International career
editHe also plays for Israel's U-21 since 2020.[29]
Abada was first called up to the Israeli senior side on 18 March 2021, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA).[30] He made his senior debut with the Israel national team on 5 June 2021, in a friendly match against Montenegro, where he substituted Yonas Malede in the 61st minute with the score at 0–0; the game ended with a 3–1 away victory for Israel.[31] He scored his first senior goal against Iceland, during a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League match on 2 June 2022, which ended in a 2–2 home draw for his native Israel.[32]
2024 Summer Olympics
editAbada was selected for Israel's squad to compete in the men's football at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[33]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 7 February 2024[34]
Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Maccabi Petah Tikva | 2018–19 | Israeli Premier League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | |
2019–20 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 34 | 8 | |||
2020–21 | 36 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | 42 | 13 | |||
Total | 67 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | 79 | 21 | |||
Celtic | 2021–22 | Scottish Premiership | 36 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12[c] | 3 | 54 | 15 |
2022–23 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5[d] | 0 | 47 | 13 | ||
2023–24 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | ||
Total | 79 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 112 | 29 | ||
Career total | 146 | 41 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 191 | 50 |
- ^ Includes Israel State Cup, Scottish Cup
- ^ Includes Toto Cup, Scottish League Cup
- ^ Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
edit- As of 17 June 2023[29]
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Israel | 2021 | 4 | 0 |
2022 | 5 | 1 | |
2023 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 10 | 1 |
- Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Abada goal.[35]
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 2 June 2022 | Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel | Iceland | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B |
Honours
editMaccabi Petah Tikva
Celtic
- Scottish Premiership: 2021–22,[36] 2022–23[37]
- Scottish Cup: 2022–23[38]
- Scottish League Cup: 2021–22[39] 2022–23[40]
Individual
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Liel Abada".
- ^ Reporter, Jewish News (15 July 2021). "Celtic sign Israeli international winger Liel Abada". jewishnews.timesofisrael.com.
- ^ a b "סולומון החדש של הלוזונים: הטירוף סביב ליאל עבדה - ספורט 5". 14 April 2020.
- ^ McGarry, Graeme (15 September 2021). "Liel Abada to miss Real Betis test through religious reasons as Ange Postecoglou mulls over Celtic captaincy". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ "כוכב נבחרת ישראל חזר לאקסית: "אני הכי שמחה בעולם"". ספורט 1 (Sport 1 - Maariv) (in Hebrew). 12 June 2022.
- ^ "New Celtic star Liel Abada's girlfriend poses in Hoops top after he signs". 9 August 2021.
- ^ "מכבי עירוני פתח תקווה 4 : 1 הכח עמידר רמת גן". Israel Football Association. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "Maccabi Petah Tikva vs. Bnei Sakhnin - 9 September 2019 - Soccerway".
- ^ "Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Maccabi Petah Tikva - 30 August 2020 - Soccerway".
- ^ "Celtic sign Israel winger Abada". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Celtic-Midtjylland | UEFA Champions League 2021/22".
- ^ "David Turnbull hat-trick helps Celtic hit another six in thrashing of St Mirren". The Guardian. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Ferencváros-Celtic | UEFA Europa League 2021/22".
- ^ "St. Johnstone vs. Celtic - 26 December 2021 - Soccerway".
- ^ a b "Celtic take five prizes at PFA Scotland awards, including manager of the year". BBC Sport. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Dundee United 0–9 Celtic: Celtic strolled to an incredible record-breaking away league victory by humiliating beleaguered Dundee United to climb back to the top of the Scottish Premiership". BBC Sport. 28 August 2022.
- ^ "Celtic overwhelm Rangers to lay down title marker". BBC Sport.
- ^ UEFA.com. "Celtic-Real Madrid | UEFA Champions League 2022/23". UEFA.com. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Abada bags double as Celtic set up Kilmarnock semi". BBC Sport.
- ^ UEFA.com (4 January 2023). "Players to watch out for in 2023: Who could star in European football this year?". UEFA.com. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "The curious case of Liel Abada, Celtic's 'breakout star'". Celtic Way. 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Liel Abada: Celtic winger agrees new four-year deal". www.skysports.com. Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Celtic fans defy club by showing support for Palestine in Champions League – video". the Guardian. 26 October 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ O'Hare, Liam. "'We're on the right side of history': Celtic's growing feud over Palestine". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ Paton, Ewan (10 October 2023). "Liel Abada 'meets' Celtic board over fans' Palestine display". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ a b McGarry, Graeme (9 February 2024). "Rodgers on 'challenging' Celtic situation for Abada". The Herald. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Celtic: Liel Abada loan a possibility - Brendan Rodgers". BBC Sport. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Liel Abada: Celtic winger departs for Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC". BBC Sport. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Israel Football Association - Liel Abada".
- ^ "סגל הנבחרת למוקדמות המונדיאל: זימון בכורה לעבדה, רפאלוב בחוץ". הארץ.
- ^ "Montenegro v Israel game report". ESPN. 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Israel-Iceland | UEFA Nations League 2023".
- ^ "פריז, אנחנו באים!!!" [Yes, please leave!!!]. Facebook (in Hebrew). Israel Football Association. 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Israel - L. Abada - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway".
- ^ "Israel - L. Abada - Profil mit News, Karriere Statistiken und Historie - Soccerway". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "Dundee United 1–1 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side reclaim league title". BBC Sport. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Watt, Martin (7 May 2023). "Heart of Midlothian 0–2 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side seal back-to-back titles". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ Duncan, Thomas (3 June 2023). "Celtic 3–1 Inverness CT: Ange Postecoglou's side win Scottish Cup to claim treble". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ "Hibernian 1–2 Celtic". BBC Sport.
- ^ Moffat, Colin (26 February 2023). "Kyogo strikes twice as Celtic beat Rangers in final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
External links
edit- Liel Abada – Israel Football Association league player details
- Liel Abada – Israel Football Association national team player details
- Liel Abada at WorldFootball.net
- UEFA.com: Players to watch out for in 2023: Who could star in European football this year? | UEFA Champions League, 4 January 2023