Anan Halaili, who made headlines tonight (between Tuesday and Wednesday) after the winning goal he scored in extra time against Uzbekistan. It's a goal that brought with it a historic achievement - qualifying for the quarterfinals of the World Cup, perhaps on the way to a meeting with Brazil.
Khalili, only 18 years old, ran with this team for several years, through the regional centers of excellence, which marked from the first moment the 2004 yearbook as one of the most talented to have emerged in Israeli football. Symbolically, the founder of the centers was Ofer Fabian, then in the Israel Football Association and today Halaili's professional director in Maccabi Haifa's youth department.
"In terms of explosive power, he has Premier League stats," Fabian said, "He's a very talented player. He has speed and is one of the leading players in our youth team, which won the championship this season. There is no doubt that he has great potential for the future and it is fun to see the progress he is making. I know him even before his time at Maccabi Haifa and follow his path, which is not over yet."
Anan Halailly celebrates the exciting goal of the Israeli national team. Who would have believed?, Photo: AP
Halailly started his career at Maccabi Haifa but decided to move to Neve Yosef's youth team. His father, former goalkeeper Majdi Khalili, worked with him on the physical aspect and developed it. In time he got more minutes in Neve Yosef and returned to Maccabi Haifa in youth A, while also continuing the center of excellence of the Israeli national team in Nahariya, among others under two former green stars, Reuven Atar and Zadok Malka.
Even then, they noticed Anan Halaili's extraordinary speed. His father developed him physically to an extreme, far beyond a boy his age. This first came at the expense of personal technique and this is where Maccabi Haifa came into the picture. Alon Harzi gave him a chance last season and this year, under Masai, the jump continued. He finished as the club's top goalscorer and played with the Greens in the UEFA Youth Champions League.
God to Israel! The young team does the unbelievable and advances to the quarterfinals of the World Cup
for the full match summary >>> pic.twitter.com/7uhnVK1vjV
— Kan (@kann) May 30, 2023
"He's athletic, fast and hardworking in his game. "In modern football, these qualities are very important. He's only 18 years old and he has a lot to develop, it's not one who has data but can't develop it. He worked with me from the age of 13-14 in the development centers and later with Ofer Fabian in the boys B team. He was a very dominant player. If they invest in him, he can be a good player in the Premier League, even at Maccabi Haifa."
The Israeli national team celebrates Anan Halaili's goal, Photo: Reuters
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In the meantime, Anan Halaili, who managed to get minutes in Maccabi Haifa's seniors under Barak Bahar, will continue to dream with Ofir Haim's team and maybe, next season, continue his development at Maccabi Haifa or another team to which he will be loaned. For anyone who passed with him along the way, the sky's the limit.
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