Israel
‘My country is my pride’: Israeli footballer Tai Abed ‘turns down millions’ to play for UAE national side
Abed, 21, is one of Israeli football’s biggest rising stars
January 26, 2026 12:05
Abed, 21, is one of Israeli football’s biggest rising stars
January 26, 2026 12:05A young Israeli footballer has revealed he turned down “crates of money” to play for a United Arab Emirates team because the proposed contract stipulated he must switch his national allegiance.
Tai Abed, 21, said he was approached by Emirati club Al Jazira with an offer worth millions, plus six-figure win bonuses, on the condition that he forfeited his eligibility for the Israeli national team at international competitions and played for the UAE instead.
Speaking to Israeli outlet Ynet, Abed said of Al Jazira: “They believed in me in a way that didn’t make sense, like I was Lionel Messi landing there.
“But,” he continued, “I couldn’t agree to give up the Israeli national team. My country is my pride, representing it is the greatest honour, especially during this time”.
The player added: “No one will take away my dream of leading my homeland to a major tournament. I’m first and foremost Israeli. No amount of money – and this was crates of money – can buy me. I'm Israeli, period”.
The multi-million pound contract put on the table reportedly included a €70,000 (£60,000) bonus for every point earned by the club, equating to more than €200,000 (£170,000) for each win.
Abed has represented Israel at U19, U20, and U21 levels, but has not yet made his international debut for the first team, meaning his allegiance is not yet set in stone.
Instead of joining Al Jazira, Abed made the move to Spanish top-tier club Levante for a fee of around €200,000 last week, and could make his debut against Atletico Madrid this weekend.
The right-winger has played since 2023 for Dutch team Jong PSV, the reserve team of PSV Eindhoven, which competes in the second tier of Dutch professional football. He scored 26 goals in 79 appearances in that time, and also turned out once for PSV’s first team.
At PSV he followed in the footsteps of Eran Zahavi, the legendary Israeli striker who scored 37 goals in 79 appearances for the club between 2020-22.
Al Jazira currently sit in fifth place in the UAE Pro League and have World Cup winner Nabil Fekir among their ranks.
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