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Nir Bitton
Israeli footballer (born 1991) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nir Bitton (or Biton,[2][3] Hebrew: ניר ביטון; born 30 October 1991) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or as a defensive midfielder for Israeli Premier League club F.C. Ashdod and Israel national team.
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Early and personal life
Bitton was born and raised in Ashdod, Israel, to a family of both Sephardi Jewish and Mizrahi Jewish descent.[4] He was enlisted and served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.[5]
He married his Israeli girlfriend Bar (née Shimon) in 2014: the couple have two children, Emma and Tom.[6][7]
Club career
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SC Ashdod
Bitton broke into the senior team of his home-town club SC Ashdod at the age of 17 in an Israeli Premier League match on 25 April 2009, and went on to make over 120 appearances.[8]
Celtic
On 30 August 2013, Bitton signed a four-year deal with Scottish Premiership club Celtic, for a fee of around £700,000 and a 20% sell-on clause from Israeli Premier League club SC Ashdod.[9]
He made his debut for the club on 18 September, in a Champions League group stage match against AC Milan, coming into the game as a late substitute in the 89th minute.[10][11] Three weeks later he made another Champions League appearance for Celtic, coming as a 77th-minute substitute against Ajax on 22 October, but was sent off eleven minutes later for a late tackle on Thulani Serero.[10] The resulting suspension and a few niggling injuries hindered Bitton's efforts to establish himself in the team,[12] but he still managed to make a total of 20 appearances for Celtic by the end of his first season there.[13] Celtic won their third successive league title, and Bitton's 15 league appearances saw him pick up his first major honour.[12][14]
In the 2014–15 season, Bitton scored in Celtic's first league match of the season from the penalty spot after a controversial red card for St Johnstone defender Dave Mackay.[15] Celtic winger Derk Boerrigter was later given a 3-match ban for simulation.[16] Later in the season, Bitton scored a stunning 30-yard goal against Dundee in a 5–0 win.[17] He scored another long-distance strike on 12 August 2015, netting from 25 yards into the top corner in a 2–2 draw with Kilmarnock.[18]
To begin the 2015–16 season, on 19 August 2015, Bitton scored against Swedish side Malmö FF in a 3–2 win at Celtic Park in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs.[19] On 2 November 2015, Bitton was signed a new contract which would keep him at Celtic until the summer of 2020,[20] and again on 16 December 2019 he extended his contract up to 2023.[21]
On 13 May 2022, Celtic announced that Bitton and teammate Tom Rogic would both be leaving the club after the final game of the season against Motherwell.[22] Bitton said: "When I came to Celtic I never thought I would be part of such exciting times and it truly has been amazing to be part of such a great club. I have worked with some great managers and team-mates and I thank them all for those times and all we achieved together."[23] On his 245th and final game for Celtic, Bitton came on as a substitute for club captain Callum McGregor in the 85th minute, as Celtic ran out 6–0 winners.[24] Rogic and Bitton brought out the Scottish Premiership trophy together, which McGregor then lifted aloft with his departing teammates standing on either side.[25]
Maccabi Tel Aviv
On 1 July 2022, Bitton joined Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract with an option for a third year. The player thus returned to Israel after spending nine years in Scotland.[29][30]
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International career
In 2009, Bitton represented his native Israel at the 2009 Maccabiah Games, and the team won a bronze medal.[31][32] He played for the only Israel U-21 team to qualify for the UEFA European U21 Championship in 2013.[33]
He made his senior debut for Israel in a friendly match against Uruguay on 26 May 2010. Bitton played a major role in qualifying games for the 2016 UEFA Euro Tournament.[34] He scored his first goal for the national team against Andorra in a 4–0 victory On 3 September 2015.[35] Ever since 23 March 2016, Bitton is being used as a second or a third Captain for the senior Israel national team.[36] Bitton debuted as the first Captain of the senior national team, in a 3–2 home win for Israel against Faroe Islands on 15 November 2021 (even after Eitan Tibi, Israel's vice-captain, was substituted in), at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[37]
Career statistics
Club
- Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
- Two appearances in the UEFA Champions League and three appearances in the UEFA Europa League
International
- Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bitton goal.[34][41]
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Honours
Celtic[14]
See also
References
External links
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