Eran Zahavi's overall performance and excellent hat-trick in Israel's 4-2 victory over Austria was a timely reminder that he could have been Israel's greatest ever player.
March 25, 2019 16:00
Zahavi is undoubtedly more talented than former Premier League stars Yossi Benayoun and Eyal Berkovic, yet few outside of Israel (and China) will be familiar with his name.
With a powerful long shot and poaching ability on both the ground and in the air, Zahavi is a goal-scoring machine like no other Israel has ever seen.
After failing to impress with Palermo in Italy's Serie A, he returned to Israel in 2013 and scored a remarkable 98 goals for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the following three years, captaining the team to three successive league titles, including 35 goals in 36 matches in the 2015-16 season – a record in Israel's top-flight.
It remains a mystery why Zahavi was not snapped up by a top European team. Maybe his agents were not marketing him correctly or clubs were deterred by his quick temper and arrogance, which are no worse than many other top football stars.
Instead Zahavi sold his soul to China for a reported contract of $12.5 million over two and a half years to Guangzhou R&F, who paid Maccabi $8 million for his services. He has scored 61 goals in 73 appearances for Guangzhou and had his contract upgraded to $7 million per year - much more than he might have earned in the Premier League, but most Israelis would have preferred seeing him perform on a more exalted stage.
To make matters worse, Zahavi found himself suspended from the Israel national team 18 months ago after throwing away his captain's armband in disgust at booing fans during a 3-0 home defeat to Albania in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers.
Zahavi then quit the international team but was persuaded to return when Austria's Andi Herzog became manager last summer. In the wake of yesterday's game, Zahavi showed he was not completely contrite. "When I threw away the captain's armband," he said, "it might have been a foolish act, but it was the best thing that could have happened to the team. I've learned from it, and so have the fans and the Israel FA."
At 31, it is almost certainly too late for Zahavi to make his mark in European club football. But he could yet prove that he is the greatest ever Israeli player by taking Israel to a first-ever Euro finals in 2020.