Shon Zalman Weissman (or Sean, he, שון וייסמן; born 14 February 1996) is an Israeli professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for Spanish club

Granada CF Granada Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. (), known simply as Granada, is a Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that plays in the Segunda División, after being relegated from La Liga in the 2021� ...

, on loan from

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

club

Real Valladolid Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid () or Valladolid, is a professional football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish league system. The club colo ...

, and the Israel national team. An academy graduate of Israeli side

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 ...

, Weissman made his senior debut for the club in 2014 before spending three seasons on

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

with Israeli clubs

Hapoel Acre Hapoel Acre Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל הפועל עכו, ''Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Akko'') is an Israeli football club based in Acre, Israel. The club currently plays in Liga Leumit. History Founded in 1946, the club dwelt i ...

Maccabi Netanya Maccabi Netanya F.C. ( he, מועדון כדורגל מכבי נתניה, ''Football Club Maccabi Netanya'') is an Israeli football club based in Netanya. Established in 1934, the club was a founding member of the Israeli League in 1949. Afte ...

, and

Ironi Kiryat Shmona Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל הפועל עירוני קרית שמונה) known as Ironi Kiryat Shmona is an Israeli football club based in Kiryat Shmona. The club is a current member of the Israeli Pr ...

. In Maccabi Netanya, he enjoyed a particularly successful campaign which culminated in the club reaching promotion to the

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 ...

. In the 2019–20 season, while playing with Austrian side

Wolfsberger AC Wolfsberger AC, commonly referred to as Wolfsberg or simply WAC, is an Austrian association football club from Wolfsberg, Carinthia, who currently play in the Austrian Bundesliga. Between the 2007–08 and 2011–12 seasons, Wolfsberger AC enter ...

, he became the club's first goalscorer in a European competition and was the Austrian Bundesliga's top scorer that season with 30 goals out of 31 matches. Formerly an Israel youth international, Weissman represented the nation from under-17 level. He made his senior international debut in September 2019.

Early life and personal life

Weissman was born and raised in the neighbourhood of

Kiryat Haim Kiryat Haim ( he, קריית חיים , ar, كريات حاييم) is a neighborhood of Haifa, Israel. It is considered part of the Krayot cluster in the northern part of metropolitan Haifa. In 2008, Kiryat Haim had a population of just un ...

of the city of

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

, Israel, to a family of

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

and

Sephardi Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

descent. His parents divorced when he was 13, and he lived with his mother Varda and his younger brother Shoval. His grandmother is a

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

survivor. Weissman is observant and does not play football on the

Jewish high holiday The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jewi ...

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day's ...

. He was enlisted and has served in the

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...

to complete his

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

. He also holds a Portuguese passport, on account of his Sephardi Jewish ancestry, which eases the move to certain European football leagues. On 22 May 2019, he married his Israeli girlfriend Eden ( Markovich), his highschool sweetheart. Their first daughter Alma Leah Weissman was born in August 2020.

Club career

Maccabi Haifa

Weissman started his career with Israeli hometown club,

. On 20 January 2014, 17-year-old Weissman made his senior debut in the

match against

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל באר שבע, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli football club from the city of Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The cl ...

. He came off the bench in the 79th minute, replacing

Ran Abukarat Ran Abukarat ( he, רן אבוקרט; born 14 December 1988) is an Israeli retired international football player. He is the son of Maccabi Haifa veteran Avraham Abukarat. Honours Club ;Maccabi Haifa *Israel State Cup (1): 2016 Israel State Cup F ...

. He ended the season with 10 league appearances, while only appearing in two games in the following season.

2015–18: Loan spells

On 19 August 2015, Weissman signed for fellow Israeli Premier League club

on a season-long loan from Maccabi Haifa. After scoring no goals in 18 appearances, the loan deal was cancelled in January 2016. For the 2016–17 season, Weissman was sent on a season-long loan again, this time to

second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

club

. He managed to score 12 goals in 21 league appearances, helping Maccabi Netanya achieve promotion to the Israeli Premier League as they were crowned champions at the end of the season. In the following season, Weissman made one appearance for Maccabi Haifa before being sent out on loan once again in August 2017, this time to fellow Premier League side

. In September 2017, in a league match against

F.C. Ashdod SC Ashdod ( he, מועדון ספורט אשדוד, ''Moadon Sport Ashdod'', lit. Sport Club Ashdod, mainly known in Israel by the semi-acronym name , ''Mem Samekh Ashdod'', lit. S.C. Ashdod) is an Israeli football club, playing in the port cit ...

, Weissman scored his first goal on the highest level of Israeli football in a 2–0 win for Ironi Kiryat Shmona. He made 26 league appearances for the club, scoring three times.

2018–19: Return to Maccabi Haifa

Following the expiration of his loan, Weissman returned to Maccabi Haifa. He made his first appearance in the season as a substitute in the league match against

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

on 26 August, receiving a yellow card shortly after in a 0–2 loss. A few days later, on 1 September, Weissman scored his first Maccabi Haifa goal when he netted in a 2–0 home win over

. He ended the season with eight goals in 25 league appearances.

Wolfsberger AC

On 20 June 2019, Weissman joined

Austrian Football Bundesliga The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...

club

, signing a two-year contract and being handed shirt No. 9. On 17 August, in the fourth round of the league, he scored four goals in a 5–0 home victory over

SV Mattersburg SV Mattersburg was an Austrian association football club from Mattersburg, Burgenland. History The club was formed in 1922 and played its home games at the 17,100 capacity Pappelstadion. The club played in the Bundesliga since the 2003–04 ...

. Before the match, he had scored in three consecutive league appearances for the

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...

n club. On 19 September 2019, Weissman scored the first goal in a 4–0 win over German club

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...

in the Europa League group stage, Wolfsberger AC's first European goal ever. He finished the 2019–20 season with 30 league goals which made him the Austrian Bundesliga's top scorer.

Valladolid

On 31 August 2020, Weissman signed with Spanish

club

until 2024. He became the most expensive signing in Real Valladolid's history at €4 million. He scored his first goals in his ninth game for Valladolid, a 3–2 home win over

CA Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El Sa ...

. After his first season ended in relegation, Weissman remained playing for Valladolid in the

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Lig ...

. On 29 August 2021, he scored in a 2–0 win at

CD Lugo Club Deportivo Lugo is a Spanish football team based in Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Founded on 8 July 1953, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at '' Estadio Anxo Carro''. History The new board of directors was o ...

before receiving a straight red card in the 38th minute. Over September and October, he netted in four successive games to go top of the goalscoring charts. After one single season, his club Valladolid has managed to return to the top Spanish football division, the (2022–23) La Liga. On 5 September 2022, having recovered from a pre-season injury, he made his season debut in the

2022–23 La Liga The 2022–23 La Liga, also known as La Liga Santander due to sponsorship reasons, is the 92nd season of La Liga, Spain's premier football competition. It commenced on 12 August 2022 and is scheduled to end on 4 June 2023. Real Madrid are the de ...

during its fourth game week, coming on as a second half substitute for Real Valladolid and then scoring the winning goal in the 93rd minute against UD Almeria, earning his team a last-minute 1–0 home victory.

Loan to Granada

On 31 January 2023, Weissman was loaned to

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

in the second Spanish division, until the end of the season, with an obligatory buyout clause of 3 million Euros in case of the club promotion back to the La Liga.

International career

Weissman made his youth international level debut in 2011 for his native Israel. From 2017 to 2018, he was part of the Israel U21 national team. Weissman made his senior debut with the Israel national team on 9 September 2019, in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. He started the game and was substituted in the 61st minute. He scored his first goal for the national team on 4 September 2021 against

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers match, that ended in a 5–2 home win for Israel.

Career statistics

International

:''Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Weissman goal.''

Honours

Maccabi Netanya *

Liga Leumit Liga Leumit ( he, ליגה לאומית, lit. ''National League'') is the second division of the Israeli Football League, and below its Premier League. Structure There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-place ...

: 2016–17 Individual *

Austrian Bundesliga The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...

Top goalscorer: 2019–20 *

Team of the Year: 2019–20 *

's Player of the Season: 2021–22

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weissman, Shon Living people 1996 births Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Israeli Sephardi Jews Citizens of Portugal through descent Jewish footballers Israeli footballers Footballers from Haifa Association football forwards Israel international footballers Israel under-21 international footballers Israel youth international footballers Israeli Premier League players Liga Leumit players Austrian Football Bundesliga players La Liga players Segunda División players Maccabi Haifa F.C. players Hapoel Acre F.C. players Maccabi Netanya F.C. players Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C. players Wolfsberger AC players Real Valladolid players Granada CF footballers Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Austria Expatriate footballers in Austria Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate footballers in Spain