Shalom Avitan is Hapoel Be'er Sheva's all-time leading goal scorer with 100 goals in 251 games. Avitan was a cold-hearted player, one who did not panic in front of goalkeepers, goal-oriented, and, it must be said, selfish.
There were years when he really was like that, but those weren't the team's great years. He is also a kind of symbol of the club and the city, in an era when we walked off the field and went to the players' homes. He will be remembered as a man with a goal, as a goal machine he filled, and how he was called "Gard Miller" and not only because of the West German championship in those years. It was difficult to find him in Hapoal Beer Sheva's half of the field or to contribute something to the team game, but his role was to score goals. He was sharp-tongued and funny, but he didn't always know the line between a legitimate sting and disdain for his teammates. The wit made him the "big mouth" as he was called in the press, or maybe "mouth for hire." And yet, he was the Hapoel star and the player who attracted attention and not only because of the goals. He also played and scored for Hapoel Jerusalem and was a junior partner in Hapoel Tel Aviv's championship season in 1986 with one goal in the derby. He had two appearances in the Israeli national team (including in the big draw in Australia), and Labitan had two appearances, during which he managed to fight with coach Emmanuel Shafer. Avitan played in the UEFA Champions League final in 1986 and 1987, scoring in the quarter-final and the semi-final. He died in a car crash in 2010.