Liel Abada
Liel Abada (Hebrew: ליאל עבדה; born 3 October 2001) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Israel national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Liel Abada | ||
| Date of birth | 3 October 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Petah Tikva, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Celtic | ||
| 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– | Celtic | 17 | (4) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2017 | Israel U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Israel U17 | 21 | (2) |
| 2018 | Israel U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Israel U19 | 12 | (4) |
| 2020– | Israel U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2021– | Israel | 5 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 December 2021 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2021 | |||
Early and personal life
Abada was born in Petah Tikva, Israel, to a Mizrahi Jewish family.[1] At the age of 13, his first manager in Maccabi Petah Tikva Ofir Luzon took Abada and his father Ronen to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah in Barcelona.[2] His younger brother is also a footballer who plays for Maccabi Petah Tikva.[2]
He is in a relationship with his Israeli-born girlfriend Bar Rashti since 2020.[3]
Club career
Maccabi Petah Tikva
Abada made his professional debut for Maccabi Petah Tikva in the Israeli State Cup on the 22 August 2019, against Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan, which finished as a 4–1 home win.[4]
Celtic
On 14 July 2021, Celtic announced the signing of Abada on a five-year contract.[5] On 20 July, he scored on his debut in the first leg of Celtic's Champions League second round qualifying match against Danish club FC Midtjylland. In his third Scottish Premiership appearance, he scored his first 2 league goals for the club against St. Mirren FC.
International career
Abada made his debut for Israel national team on the 5 June 2021 in a friendly away 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.[6]
Career statistics
- As of 20 July 2021[7]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | 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 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019–20 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 8 | ||
| 2020–21 | 36 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 13 | ||
| Total | 67 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 21 | ||
| Celtic | 2021–22 | Scottish Premiership | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Career total | 70 | 22 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 85 | 25 | ||
- Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
References
- Reporter, Jewish News. "Celtic sign Israeli international winger Liel Abada". jewishnews.timesofisrael.com.
- "סולומון החדש של הלוזונים: הטירוף סביב ליאל עבדה - ספורט 5".
- "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.
- "Celtic sign Israel winger Abada". BBC Sport.
- "Montenegro v Israel game report". ESPN. 5 June 2021.
- Liel Abada at Soccerway. Retrieved 14 July 2021.