Liel Abada
Liel Abada | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 10, 2001 Petah Tikva, Israel |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 2019– |
| Known for | Playing as a winger or forward for Charlotte FC and the Israel national team |
Liel Abada (, ; born ) is an Israeli professional football player who operates primarily as a winger or forward for Major League Soccer's Charlotte FC and represents the Israel national team.
Early and personal life
Abada was born in Petah Tikva, Israel, into a family of Mizrahi Jewish heritage. When he was 13 years old, his initial coach at Maccabi Petah Tikva took him and his father Ronen to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah in Barcelona. His younger sibling, Orel Abada, is a player for Hapoel Ra'anana. Abada observes his faith strictly and refrains from playing on the Jewish solemn day of Yom Kippur.
Since 2020, apart from a brief three-month break in 2022, Abada has been in a relationship with Israeli Bar Rashti.
Maccabi Petah Tikva
Abada’s professional debut came with Maccabi Petah Tikva during the Israel State Cup on 22 August 2019, when he entered as a substitute in the 63rd minute of a 4–1 home victory against Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan. He scored his inaugural senior goal in the Israeli Liga Leumit on 9 September 2019, contributing to a 1–1 draw at home versus Bnei Sakhnin. On 30 August 2020, Abada netted his first goal in the Israeli Premier League, securing an 86th-minute winner in a 2–1 away triumph over Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Celtic
On 14 July 2021, Abada signed a five-year deal with Scottish Premiership side Celtic for an estimated fee of £3.6 million. He opened his scoring account on debut during the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League against Danish club Midtjylland, with the match concluding at 1–1. On 21 August 2021, he recorded a brace in a commanding 6–0 league win over St. Mirren. Additionally, he netted the decisive goal in a UEFA Europa League group stage fixture against Ferencváros on 4 November 2021 and scored twice in a 3–1 away victory against St. Johnstone on 26 December. His performances earned him the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year accolade for the 2021–22 season.
On 28 August 2022, Abada achieved a hat-trick alongside an assist during Celtic’s record-setting 9–0 league away win over Dundee United. A week later, he scored two goals in a dominant 4–0 Old Firm derby win against rivals Rangers. Abada made his UEFA Champions League group stage debut on 6 September 2022 facing Real Madrid. On 19 October, he contributed two goals and one assist in a Scottish League Cup quarter-final match that ended with a 4–0 victory over Motherwell. In January 2023, UEFA recognized Abada among its official list spotlighting young talents expected to influence European football significantly.
Abada extended his contract with Celtic by four years on 1 September 2023. His career faced challenges amid the Gaza war, as Celtic’s supporter group Green Brigade showed solidarity with Palestinians, resulting in criticism directed at Abada within Israel. He held discussions with Celtic’s management regarding these matters; the club described the fan demonstrations as "inappropriate." Injured at the onset of the conflict, Abada resumed playing in December. Manager Brendan Rodgers acknowledged the difficulty Abada experienced performing under such conditions and later indicated the possibility of his transfer. On 8 March 2024, Abada departed Celtic following a £10 million transfer agreement.
Charlotte FC
On 8 March 2024, Abada completed a transfer to the Major League Soccer franchise Charlotte FC.
International career
Abada has been representing Israel's U-21 since 2020. His initial call-up to the senior national squad occurred on 18 March 2021 in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA). He made his senior debut for the Israel national football team on 5 June 2021 during a friendly encounter with Montenegro, coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute; Israel emerged victorious with a 3–1 scoreline. Abada netted his first goal for the senior team on 2 June 2022 in a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League fixture against Iceland, which concluded in a 2–2 draw.
2024 Summer Olympics
Abada was named in Israel's roster for the men's football competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Continental | 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[lower-alpha 3] | 3 | 54 | 15 |
| 2022–23 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5[lower-alpha 4] | 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 | ||
| Charlotte FC | 2024 | Major League Soccer | 27 | 7 | – | – | – | 27 | 7 | |||
| 2025 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 33 | 6 | |||
| Total | 55 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 60 | 13 | |||
| Career total | 201 | 53 | 18 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 251 | 63 | ||
International
| 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.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2 June 2022 | Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B |
Honours
Maccabi Petah Tikva U20
- Israeli Noar Premier League: 2018–19 season
Maccabi Petah Tikva
- Liga Leumit: champions in 2019–20
Celtic
- Scottish Premiership: titles secured in 2021–22 and 2022–23
- Scottish Cup: winner in 2022–23
- Scottish League Cup: victorious in both 2021–22 and 2022–23
Individual
- PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year: awarded for the 2021–22 season
See also
External links
- UEFA.com: Players to watch out for in 2023: Who could star in European football this year? | UEFA Champions League, dated 4 January 2023
Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "lower-alpha", but no corresponding <references group="lower-alpha"/> tag was found
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 2001 births
- Living people
- Israeli Mizrahi Jews
- Israeli men's footballers
- 21st-century Israeli Jews
- Footballers from Petah Tikva
- Jewish Israeli sportspeople
- Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C. players
- Celtic F.C. players
- Charlotte FC players
- Israeli Premier League players
- Liga Leumit players
- Scottish Professional Football League players
- Israeli expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland
- Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
- Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Scotland
- Israeli expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- Men's association football wingers
- Men's association football forwards
- Designated Players (MLS)
- Footballers at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Israel men's international footballers
- Israel men's youth international footballers
- Israel men's under-21 international footballers
- Olympic footballers for Israel
- 21st-century Israeli sportsmen
- Major League Soccer players
- Pages with reference errors