Biography
Who is Eran Zahavi?
Early life and youth career
Eran Zahavi began his path in association football at a very young age. He started his youth career with Hapoel Tel Aviv when he was just six years old. As a teenager, he moved to Ironi Rishon LeZion in his hometown to continue his development. By the age of sixteen, he was gaining experience within the local football structures before returning to Hapoel Tel Aviv two years later, in 2005.
His professional breakthrough occurred in 2006 when he was promoted to the Hapoel Tel Aviv senior team. During his time there, he became a key contributor. In the 2009–10 season, he helped his club secure both the Israel State Cup and the Israeli Premier League title. He especially scored the winning goal during the final round of the season against Beitar Jerusalem in the 92nd minute.
Professional club career in Europe and Asia
After his success in Israel, Eran moved to Italy to play for the Serie A club Palermo, signing a five-year deal in 2011. During two seasons in Italy, he made 23 appearances and scored goals against Bologna and Cagliari. In 2013, he returned to Israel to join Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he achieved significant individual accolades. He was named the Israeli Footballer of the Year twice, for the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons, and became a top scorer for the league three years in a row.
In 2016, he transferred to the Chinese Super League club Guangzhou R&F. His time in China was marked by high scoring rates, including a hat-trick against Hebei China Fortune and a four-goal performance against Yanbian Funde. He earned the CSL Golden Boot Award in 2017 and was selected as the league MVP. By November 2019, he set a new single-season scoring record for the Chinese Super League with 29 goals.
International football achievements
Eran Zahavi made his debut for the Israel men's national football team in 2010 during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches. He eventually became the captain of the squad. He scored his first international goal in 2013 against Russia during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Throughout his international career, he delivered several high-scoring performances. In 2019, he recorded back-to-back hat-tricks during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, first against Austria and then against Latvia. With 35 goals total, he stands as the all-time top scorer for the Israeli national team.
Birthday and age
Eran Zahavi was born on July 25, 1987, which makes Eran 39 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. Eran shares the date with 27 other famous people.
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