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Liel Abada

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Israeli association footballer

Liel Abada
Abada playing for Celtic in 2021
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-10-03) 3 October 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Petah Tikva, Israel
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Winger, forward
Team information
Current team Charlotte FC
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 27 (7)
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 12 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 June 2023

Liel Abada (Hebrew: ליאל עבדה, /lɪˈɛl/ li-EL; born (2001-10-03)3 October 2001) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a winger or a forward for MLS side Charlotte FC and the Israel national team.

Early and personal life

Abada was born in Petah Tikva, Israel, to a family of Mizrahi Jewish descent. 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. His younger brother Orel Abada is also a footballer who plays for Hapoel Ra'anana. Abada is observant and does not play football on the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur.

Except for a 3-month period in 2022, he has been in a relationship with Israeli Bar Rashti since 2020.

Club career

Maccabi Petah Tikva

Abada 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. 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. 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.

Celtic

On 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Abada won the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award for 2021–22.

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. 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. Abada made his debut UEFA Champions League Group stage appearance on 6 September 2022, opening against Spanish side Real Madrid. 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. 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".

On 1 September 2023, Abada signed a new four-year contract with Celtic. His career with Celtic was affected by the Israel–Hamas war, as the Green Brigade fans group demonstrated their support for the Palestinians. 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. Abada was injured at the time the war started, and he returned to the team in December. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said in February 2024 that it was "challenging" for Abada to produce his best form in the circumstances, and then confirmed that Abada could leave the club. On 8 March 2024 Abada left Celtic for a fee of £10 million.

Charlotte FC

Abada moved to Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC on 8 March 2024.

International career

He also plays for Israel's U-21 since 2020.

Abada was first called up to the Israeli senior side on 18 March 2021, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA). 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. 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.

2024 Summer Olympics

Abada was selected for Israel's squad to compete in the men's football at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 7 February 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup 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 3 54 15
2022–23 34 10 4 1 4 2 5 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
  1. Includes Israel State Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. Includes Toto Cup, Scottish League Cup
  3. 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
  4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of 17 June 2023
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.
List of international goals scored by Liel Abada
# 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

Maccabi Petah Tikva

Celtic

Individual

See also

References

  1. "Liel Abada".
  2. Reporter, Jewish News (15 July 2021). "Celtic sign Israeli international winger Liel Abada". jewishnews.timesofisrael.com.
  3. ^ "סולומון החדש של הלוזונים: הטירוף סביב ליאל עבדה - ספורט 5". 14 April 2020.
  4. 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.
  5. "כוכב נבחרת ישראל חזר לאקסית: "אני הכי שמחה בעולם"". ספורט 1 (Sport 1 - Maariv) (in Hebrew). 12 June 2022.
  6. "New Celtic star Liel Abada's girlfriend poses in Hoops top after he signs". 9 August 2021.
  7. "מכבי עירוני פתח תקווה 4 : 1 הכח עמידר רמת גן". Israel Football Association. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  8. "Maccabi Petah Tikva vs. Bnei Sakhnin - 9 September 2019 - Soccerway".
  9. "Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Maccabi Petah Tikva - 30 August 2020 - Soccerway".
  10. "Celtic sign Israel winger Abada". BBC Sport.
  11. "Celtic-Midtjylland | UEFA Champions League 2021/22".
  12. "David Turnbull hat-trick helps Celtic hit another six in thrashing of St Mirren". The Guardian. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  13. "Ferencváros-Celtic | UEFA Europa League 2021/22".
  14. "St. Johnstone vs. Celtic - 26 December 2021 - Soccerway".
  15. ^ "Celtic take five prizes at PFA Scotland awards, including manager of the year". BBC Sport. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  16. "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.
  17. "Celtic overwhelm Rangers to lay down title marker". BBC Sport.
  18. UEFA.com. "Celtic-Real Madrid | UEFA Champions League 2022/23". UEFA.com. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  19. "Abada bags double as Celtic set up Kilmarnock semi". BBC Sport.
  20. 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.
  21. "The curious case of Liel Abada, Celtic's 'breakout star'". Celtic Way. 5 January 2023.
  22. "Liel Abada: Celtic winger agrees new four-year deal". www.skysports.com. Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  23. "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.
  24. O'Hare, Liam. "'We're on the right side of history': Celtic's growing feud over Palestine". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  25. Paton, Ewan (10 October 2023). "Liel Abada 'meets' Celtic board over fans' Palestine display". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  26. ^ McGarry, Graeme (9 February 2024). "Rodgers on 'challenging' Celtic situation for Abada". The Herald. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  27. "Celtic: Liel Abada loan a possibility - Brendan Rodgers". BBC Sport. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  28. "Liel Abada: Celtic winger departs for Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC". BBC Sport. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  29. ^ "Israel Football Association - Liel Abada".
  30. "סגל הנבחרת למוקדמות המונדיאל: זימון בכורה לעבדה, רפאלוב בחוץ". הארץ.
  31. "Montenegro v Israel game report". ESPN. 5 June 2021.
  32. "Israel-Iceland | UEFA Nations League 2023".
  33. "פריז, אנחנו באים!!!" [Yes, please leave!!!]. Facebook (in Hebrew). Israel Football Association. 11 July 2024.
  34. "Israel - L. Abada - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway".
  35. "Israel - L. Abada - Profil mit News, Karriere Statistiken und Historie - Soccerway". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  36. "Dundee United 1–1 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side reclaim league title". BBC Sport. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  37. 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.
  38. 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.
  39. "Hibernian 1–2 Celtic". BBC Sport.
  40. Moffat, Colin (26 February 2023). "Kyogo strikes twice as Celtic beat Rangers in final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2023.

External links

Charlotte FC – current squad
  • Head coach: Smith
  • Associate head coach: Joseph
  • Assistant coach: Fuchs
  • Goalkeeper coach: Hyde
Israel men's football squad – 2024 Summer Olympics
Israel
PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year
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