Tomer Hamed played 86 minutes in the Maccabi Haifa uniform against Hapoel Kfar Saba on Sunday, when up to that moment, he had recorded 33 minutes in the Premier League with Hapoel BS. The result: two goals and many questions, what made the 36-year-old striker, with a past in the Spanish League and the Premier League, To reach the position where he is at the end of the rotation in the Premier League.
The devaluation of Hamed's status already started last season, but coach Eliniv Berda insisted that it was a professional decision and the player also started the current season in Hapoel B.S. In some games he came up to warm up and didn't even get a minute, until the match in Ashdod came about a month ago, when Hamed came on for a minute The 89th felt humiliated.
"There were games that Tomer didn't play and he didn't understand why. There were situations where he warmed up for a whole half and saw everyone coming in before him," say those close to the player.
"At the beginning of the season, the team didn't win, barely scored and he still didn't play. A puzzling decision, it's not like there were strikers before him who scored every game like Eran Zahavi."
Kinda cute.
Maccabi Haifa survived a sensation, photo: Alan Shiver
In one of the conversations between Eliniv Barda and Tomer Hamed, the striker asked why he is not playing and he replied that it was a professional decision and that he currently has other players in front of him.
This answer did not satisfy the veteran striker, who already in December checked about leaving.
As far as the southern club is concerned, the message that they will not stand in his way was on the agenda all the time.
His high salary, which was more than 200,000 euros per season, burdened the budget for an Israeli who does not receive playing minutes that match one of the top earners on the roster.
Tomer Hemed.
"I went through a difficult time", photo: Alan Shiver
Inquiries from Bnei Sakhnin, Hapoel PT and MS Ashdod did not ignite a spark in the player. In conversations he had with his family members and his wife Shonit, he said that he "does not see himself ending his career in such clubs" and that this is not how he saw his return to Israel.
The desire for a fitting end was strong and at some point a third party also close to Maccabi Haifa became interested in his status.
Hamed conveyed a message that if there was an offer, he would be the one to arrange the release from Po'el B.S. At the same time, the message was also conveyed to Maccabi Haifa and in light of the situation that had arisen, in which the sporting director Gal Alberman wanted another striker in the squad, but one who would come to fight for his place, suited both sides.
One of the recommenders to return Tomer Hamed to Maccabi Haifa is captain Lior Rafalov.
The two grew up together in the club's youth department and in conversations with the club's president Yaakov Shahar, Rafalov clarified that Hamed "can help professionally but also in the dressing room", especially in light of the fact that Charon Sherry left for the Netherlands and is only supposed to return in the summer.
The friendship with Rafalov, together with the professional need that arose, paved the way for Tomer Hamed to Maccabi Haifa.
Tomer Hamed with the new shirt, photo: Maccabi Haifa
From a family point of view, this is not an easy move.
The Hamed family (four children) started the school year in the south and now the signing in Haifa has changed the plans.
Therefore, the striker uses part of the time to stay with his family in Kiryat Tivon, after his late father Eliyahu passed away about a year ago. From a family point of view, the decision was difficult, but it was decided to give support and stand behind the striker in the hope that he will re-bloom his career and end it with honor in the place where he grew up .
Tomer Hamed will return to the Toto Turner Stadium tonight with a lot of baggage to show that all the decisions regarding him were wrong.
Under Masai Dago, he will probably only come in as a substitute, but even in the minutes he gets, the striker will have a lot to prove.
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Tomer Hemed.
Asked to leave, photo: Alan Shiver
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