Ofir Davidzadeh's six seasons in the Maccabi Tel Aviv uniform are full of ups and downs.
But for the upcoming season's game against Maccabi Haifa, the left defender arrives in a completely different position - as a key player in the yellow ranks.
He came to Kiryat Shalom on the standard of a senior legionnaire, even though he did not succeed in Belgium, and became in the first season under Jordi Cruyff (who in the 2017/8 season coached the team), the leading left defender of the Yellows.
But a season later, everything changed with the signing of Enrique Saborit, who became one of the best foreign players to ever come to Israel.
Davidzade was simply pushed aside.
Davidzada.
In excellent shape, photo: Alan Shiver
For three seasons, Davidzade struggled for performances and saw Saborit regularly favored over him.
No matter which coach arrived, it was not possible to move Saborit from the lineup.
At one point the defender was already thinking of leaving the yellows, but in the training camp of the previous season he made a switch in his mind and decided to fight for his place, take himself to the edge, invest more and more in training, including mental training, and wait for the opportunity to come and embrace it with both hands.
And the opportunity came at the beginning of last season, when Saborit was injured in a game against Maccabi Petah Tikva, just a week before the season's game against Maccabi Haifa, and the one who was jumped is of course Davidzadeh, who in the classic against the greens was one of the most prominent in the ranks of Maccabi Tel Aviv, which also eventually won 1:2.
But if you ask Davidzadeh himself, the big turning point for him was about a week before, in the great 2:5 victory of the Israeli national team against Austria, where the defender only came off the bench but felt that it was "the game that will take me on a new path."
Davidzada.
That's all the character, photo: Alan Shiver
Indeed, from those games, Davidzadeh improved his dribbling, he supports the attack much more and sometimes plays just like an extremist, but above all, according to Maccabi, he has extraordinary physical fitness.
"Ofir can play two games in a row and not get tired," said a member of the team.
When Mladan Krstaic arrived last year, the coach moved Saborit to the blocking position and let the defender continue to scorch the left line.
Maccabi Tel Aviv claims that Davidzadeh was "one of the bright spots" last season, and they are not surprised that he started the season with a storm, when in the last game against Beitar Jerusalem he even scored two goals.
Davidzada.
Overcome Injury, Photo: Alan Shiver
In the summer Davidzadeh suffered a minor injury, but very quickly he got into things and became the regular defender of Vladan Ivić, who often plays in a line of five defenders, where the defender shows his qualities both on the defensive and offensive side.
To his surprise, he was not called up to Alon Hazan's national team, but if he delivers a good performance tomorrow in the Clasico and continues with his current ability, he will very quickly return to wear the national uniform.
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