Daniel Peretz was still soaking it all in a day after Southampton’s stunning FA Cup upset of Arsenal, a result that sent the Israeli national team goalkeeper and the Saints into the semifinals and left plenty of smiles to go around.
“It was a very emotional evening,” Peretz said in a Zoom call with Israeli media. “The occasion, the match itself, the result — and all of this with the situation in Israel, the holiday and the war. It is a huge source of pride to be Israeli and to represent our people. From a sporting perspective, it was very moving for me to take part in a match and in a competition of this magnitude.”
Peretz starred in Southampton’s 2-1 victory on Saturday, producing a steady, confident performance as Arsenal fired 23 shots, including seven on target. The Israeli international stopped six of them, helping calm his team throughout the match and earning rave reviews, including an 8.41 rating from the BBC and man-of-the-match honors from Flashscore.
The win added another high point to a surge in form for Southampton, which has won 12 of its last 15 matches in all competitions and sits seventh in the Championship, within touching distance of the promotion playoff places.
For Peretz, the breakout stretch has come after two seasons at Bayern Munich in which playing time was hard to find. Still, he said he does not look back on that period bitterly.
“I had two seasons in which I did not play much, but I do not consider them difficult seasons,” he said. “I knew what I was going into. They improved me and gave me many tools for the rest of my career. Like in life, in soccer there are ups and downs. Thank God, I feel excellent now. Playing regularly helps a lot, and so does the connection I have with the club, the staff, the players and the fans.”
As for what comes next, Peretz kept things careful and practical, even as he acknowledged he has settled in nicely in England.
“It is hard for me to say what I prefer,” he said. “In soccer, one month is a very long time and a lot can still happen, so you do not know what will be. I enjoy England and Southampton. It is very good for me here, and you can see that I am really enjoying it.
“For a deal to happen, there are several sides involved. It is not always just about what I want or what one club wants. Everyone has to be satisfied for something to move forward. I am heading into maybe the most critical month of my career, and I am focused only on the next game each time until the end of the season. After that, we will see what happens with the future.”
Peretz also made time for a lighter subject: his wife, pop star Noa Kirel, whom he described as his anchor through the highs and lows of the past three years.
“Thank God, she is my center and the gift of my life,” he said. “Throughout the three years we have been together, she has truly always been there for me — whether in good games, with the national team, in less good games, in difficult periods and with injuries. She is the center that is always there, the home and the calm that is there for me as a person, no matter what happens in my career. It gives me a lot of strength, and it is wonderful to come back to that after a game like yesterday. I come home and I do not need the big high of the match. All I want is to come back and be home with my wife.”
And when asked about Kirel’s playful Instagram request — “have my child” — Peretz did not duck the question.
“Yes, with God’s help,” he said with a laugh. “We do not know when. We have not decided, but with God’s help, it will happen.”