The 2016/17 season will be remembered as one of Hapoel BS's greatest seasons of all time; a season in which the team won three titles - championship, champion of champions and the Toto Cup - and along the way went on a dream European journey, reaching the round of 32 in the Europa League.
This year, BS won the Toto Cup for the third time in its history, in a 4:1 victory over Kiryat Shmona with a clutch by Ben Shaher, and two more goals by Mehran Radi and Eliniv Barda. To this day, Radi is considered one of the most beloved players in the Turner stands.
Radi, who turned 40 this year, is at a crossroads regarding his future: he is debating whether to continue playing until the end of the season - or to announce his retirement from playing, carrying six consecutive championships on his back - a record in Israeli football.
"It's undoubtedly a bit of a difficult decision, and although maybe I should have retired a long time ago, the passion for the game overcame me. I'm facing the end of my career, without a doubt."
Radi recalls the 2016/17 season, and says: "It was the team's most powerful season, everyone reached their peak and we did amazing things. I was honored and lucky to be part of this team," he recalls.
"We came to the final with great confidence, and with the passion and desire of all the players. The game was easy and we won another title. The Toto Cup factory is considered a negligible enterprise, and not everyone attaches great importance to it, but especially with us - we have always been extremely serious in every game, especially when it comes to Lifting a cup. It was fun to come to training, every game and every training session was like a cup final for us."
Even today, when he has not played in the team for several years, Radi still follows BS religiously. "I am very happy about the success of Eliniv Barda.
Not everyone knows, but as someone who was with him in the locker room and on the field, I immediately saw in him the qualities of a successful coach.
Already today there are results on the field, and there is no one more worthy than him to lead the club in the coming years.
It's definitely a welcome move by Alona, who managed to convince him to be on the lines."
About the Toto final against KS he says: "My goal in that final always pops into my head, because my son was present on the field, and immediately after scoring the goal I sprinted in his direction to hug him, in the opposite direction of the goal, and when I reached him I told him that I was tired like That I didn't get tired during the whole game."
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