Dan Hadani collection (997009853148605171)

Avi Ran (August 25, 1963 – July 11, 1987) was a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

at the Israeli football club

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football ...

. Widely considered one of the greatest football players in Israel, he had a promising future which was cut short by a fatal accident.

Football career

Ran made his debut in Haifa's senior team in the 1981/1982 season at the age of 17 in a match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, keeping a clean sheet in the process. Ran went on to play for most of the season, competing for his place in the team with Zadok Avrahami. The competition was tough, but Ran was known for his perseverance and diligence in training, as well as his good manners and social character - which earned him a social status of loud and sympathetic off the pitch. During the 1983/1984

Shlomo Scharf Shlomo Scharf ( he, שלמה שרף; born 1 January 1943) is a former Israeli football (soccer), football player and coach (sport), manager who now works as a regular commentator on Israeli Sport 5 TV channel. Scharf managed Maccabi Haifa to thre ...

came to Maccabi Haifa. Looking for a new coach and veteran instead of 20-year-old Ran, he attempted to release Ran and replace him with Arie Haviv from Hapoel Yehud. Being a popular social figure in the group, a wave of protests occurred from a number of players, such as Baruch Maman and Ronnie Rosenthal, who requested that Scharf let him stay, but he would not listen to them. Yohanan Volach, who was key in preventing the release of many players (including Rosenthal, Moshe Selektar,

Rafi Osmo Rafi Osmo (born 25 March 1963) is a former Israeli footballer. Between 2016 and 2020 he was the chairman of Maccabi Haifa, where he played most of his career.Yossi Kremer), torpedoed the move and managed to prevent the release of Ran. Volach believed in the young goalkeeper, and knew of his ability and potential from when he was a child. Ran did not disappoint, and his performances for Haifa revealed an excellent goalkeeper.

Ya'akov Hodorov Ya'akov "Yankele" Hodorov (Hebrew: יעקב חודורוב) (16 June 1927 – 31 December 2006) was an Israeli football goalkeeper in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. He is one Israel's best goalkeepers of all time and the leading goalkeeper of his ...

. Ran helped to Haifa to win the first

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

title in its history, conceding only 28 goals. In Ran's second season he was already established as one of Maccabi Haifa's key players Maccabi Haifa, and again impressed as he broke a club record, conceding only 18 goals as Haifa won the title for the second year in succession. That season saw Haifa come close to winning the double as they also reached the cup final, although they lost to

Beitar Jerusalem Beitar Jerusalem Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל בית"ר ירושלים, Moadon Kaduregel Beitar Yerushalayim), commonly known as Beitar Jerusalem () or simply as Beitar (), is an Israeli football club based in the city of Jeru ...

. In 1986, Maccabi Haifa came close to success again, topping the table for most of the season. However, the Championship was won by Hapoel Tel Aviv on the final day, as they faced off with Haifa in a game that would decide the title winners. With Haifa sitting just 1 point above second placed Tel Aviv, an 86' minute goal by

Gili Landau Gili Landau ( he, גילי לנדאו; born 7 May 1958) is an Israeli former footballer and currently a manager, coaching the Israel women's national football team. Early life Landau was born in Bat Yam, Israel. He played soccer as a str ...

- which was later adjudged to have been offside - won Tel Aviv the title by just 2 points. Ran excelled that year and was named player of the season, although his team narrowly lost the championship. That same year saw Haifa play outside of Israel for the first time. Rumours circulated of a possible move for Ran to a European club, including

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. Exhibition games were held in Israel, and Ran played one of the best games in his career. Liverpool were very impressed by the showing of Haifa and wanted to sign him. Ran played nine games the team, eight of which resulted in a loss, and one a draw. In 1987, Maccabi Haifa finished low down in the table in ninth place, but Ran maintained his status as a key player, although many other key players were released from the club. * Won 2 championships with Maccabi Haifa. * Conceded only 18 goals in the 1985-86 season, the lowest in Maccabi Haifa's history. * Won

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...

's 1986 "footballer of the year" award (i.e. the

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the season). * Was goalkeeper of the Israeli national team.

Fatal accident

On 11 July 1987, Ran was killed on the "Guy" beach in

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Fo ...

when he was hit by a passing racing boat whilst

were on a vacation off season in the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...

. 14,000 people attended Ran's funeral.

Career statistics

References

External links

Profile and short biography of Avi Ran on Maccabi Haifa's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ran, Avi 1963 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Israeli Jews Israeli footballers Maccabi Haifa F.C. players Association football goalkeepers Israel international footballers Footballers from Haifa Israeli Footballer of the Year recipients