Eran Zahavi, one of the greatest soccer players in Israel’s history, has announced his retirement. The 38-year-old, widely considered the dominant figure in Israeli soccer over the past 15 years, made the announcement in an emotional Instagram post on Monday.
"Thank you, my soccer ball, my first and greatest love in life," Zahavi wrote, in a farewell message addressed to his younger self. "We part ways today on the pitch, but surely not for good. I will always be grateful for who I am because of you. I love you all from the heart, and I’ll miss you just as much. Thank you for everything."
His retirement comes after months of speculation. Zahavi parted ways with Maccabi Tel Aviv at the end of last season, having led them to a second straight league title—his fifth with the club, and sixth overall in Israel. As first reported by Ynet, Zahavi had hoped to receive an offer from a club in a location suitable for his family, targeting the U.S. or Dubai. No such offer materialized, and the decision to retire was made back in November.
His final match, it turns out, came in last season’s dramatic finale, where Zahavi scored twice in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s 5-0 win to secure the Israeli Premier League title. It was a fitting farewell for the player often described as Israeli football’s ultimate winner. He left the field in tears.
Last season was a difficult one for Zahavi. He lost his place in the starting lineup and spent more time on the bench than ever before in his career. Still, true to form, he delivered when it counted: scoring eight of his 12 league goals during the playoff phase, and 15 goals in all competitions.
19 Years, 19 Titles, 438 Goals
Zahavi retires with an astonishing 438 career goals. He scored 207 of those for Maccabi Tel Aviv in all competitions, including 150 in the league—making him the second-highest scorer in club history. His résumé also includes 13 goals for Ironi Ramat HaSharon, 41 during a successful spell at Hapoel Tel Aviv (including a title-winning goal in Teddy Stadium and a spectacular bicycle kick in the Champions League), two goals at Palermo in Italy, 103 at Guangzhou R&F in China, and 37 at PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
He is also Israel’s all-time leading national team scorer with 35 goals and ranks fifth in all-time Israeli league scoring with 177.
Zahavi’s path to superstardom was anything but predictable. Early in his career, he was loaned from Hapoel Tel Aviv to second-division Ramat HaSharon, where he scored his first career goal—a penalty against Bnei Lod in February 2007. He finished that season with just three goals, and only 10 the next.
Everything changed in May 2010, when he scored what many consider the most iconic goal of his career—clinching the league title for Hapoel Tel Aviv.
After a short and unsuccessful stint at Palermo, Zahavi returned to Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Under coach Paulo Sousa, who repositioned him as a striker, Zahavi exploded: three league titles, three top scorer awards, a record-breaking scoring season, and Champions League group stage qualification—all achieved in three and a half seasons.
He then starred in China and later moved to PSV, before returning to Maccabi for a final run.
Trophy cabinet and personal honors
Over 19 years, Zahavi won six league titles—five with Maccabi Tel Aviv and one with Hapoel. He also lifted the State Cup twice with Hapoel (including as part of a domestic double in 2009/10), and once with Maccabi in 2014/15, a treble-winning season that also included the Toto Cup. He added three more Toto Cups and an Israeli Super Cup to his domestic haul.
Abroad, he won the Dutch Cup with PSV in 2021/22 and the Johan Cruyff Shield in 2021.
Individually, Zahavi earned 15 personal accolades: three-time Israeli Footballer of the Year, four-time Premier League top scorer, once the league’s top assist provider, two-time top scorer and once player of the year in China, Eredivisie Player of the Month, three-time recipient of Israel’s Sports Excellence Award, and winner of the national Sports Achievement Prize.
The switch that shook the city
Perhaps the most controversial moment of Zahavi’s career was his mid-season move in 2012/13 from Palermo to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Having once been the face of Hapoel Tel Aviv and leading them to three titles and a memorable Champions League run, Zahavi’s decision to join their fierce cross-town rival enraged Hapoel fans.
But Zahavi didn’t just switch sides—he changed the balance of power. He became the symbol of Maccabi’s resurgence and dominance in Israeli football.
He played in 22 Tel Aviv derbies, scoring 12 goals and winning 14 of them. Only once did he experience defeat in the city rivalry—in 2013/14, the last time Hapoel won the derby.
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The incident that no one wants to remember. Zahavi confronts a Hapoel Tel Aviv fan
(Photo: Reuven Schwartz)
Some moments in those clashes were unforgettable: the infamous "pew pew" goal celebration against Hapoel in his first season; a stunning hat-trick in a 3-2 comeback win after being down 2-1 in the 86th minute; and the notorious 2014/15 incident when a Hapoel fan stormed the pitch and assaulted Zahavi, who retaliated and was sent off—a moment that sparked nationwide debate.
Zahavi leaves behind a legacy as one of the most prolific, decorated, and polarizing figures in Israeli football—a player whose name will be remembered for generations.