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Nir Bitton
Bitton playing for Celtic in 2017
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-10-30) 30 October 1991 (age 32)
Place of birth Ashdod, Israel
Height 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) [1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder, centre back
Team information
Current team
 Maccabi Tel Aviv
Number 55
Youth career
1997–2009 SC Ashdod
Senior career*
Years Team Apps ( Gls)
2009–2013 SC Ashdod 127 (14)
2013–2022 Celtic 158 (16)
2022– Maccabi Tel Aviv 30 (1)
International career‡
2008 Israel U17 5 (0)
2009 Israel U18 2 (0)
2009 Israel U19 15 (0)
2010–2013 Israel U21 22 (2)
2010– Israel 39 (3)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing   Israel
Maccabiah Games
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Maccabiah Football
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 February 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2022

Nir Bitton (or Biton, [2] [3] [4] 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 Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israel national team.

Early and personal life

Bitton was born and raised in Ashdod, Israel, to a family of both Sephardi Jewish and Mizrahi Jewish descent. [5] He was enlisted and served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. [6]

He married his Israeli girlfriend Bar ( née Shimon) in 2014: the couple have two children, Emma and Tom. [7] [8]

Club career

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. [9]

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. [10]

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. [11] [12] 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. [11] The resulting suspension and a few niggling injuries hindered Bitton's efforts to establish himself in the team, [13] but he still managed to make a total of 20 appearances for Celtic by the end of his first season there. [14] Celtic won their third successive league title, and Bitton's 15 league appearances saw him pick up his first major honour. [13] [15]

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. [16] Celtic winger Derk Boerrigter was later given a 3-match ban for simulation. [17] Later in the season, Bitton scored a stunning 30-yard goal against Dundee. in a 5–0 win. [18] 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. [19]

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. [20] On 2 November 2015, Bitton was signed a new contract which would keep him at Celtic until the summer of 2020, [21] and again on 16 December 2019 he extended his contract up to 2023. [22]

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. [23] 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." [24] 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. [25] Rogic and Bitton brought out the Scottish Premiership trophy together, which McGregor then lifted aloft with his departing teammates standing on either side. [26]

Bitton also occasionally captained Celtic. [27] [28] [29]

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. [30] [31]

International career

Bitton during the 2013 UEFA Under-21 Euros that were hosted in Israel

In 2009, Bitton represented his native Israel at the 2009 Maccabiah Games, and the team won a bronze medal. [32] [33] He played for the only Israel U-21 team to qualify for the UEFA European U21 Championship in 2013. [34]

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. [35] He scored his first goal for the national team against Andorra in a 4–0 victory On 3 September 2015. [36] Ever since 23 March 2016, Bitton is being used as a second or a third Captain for the senior Israel national team. [37] 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. [38]

Career statistics

Club

As of 30 October 2021 [39] [15] [40]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
SC Ashdod [i] 2008–09 Israeli Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2009–10 Israeli Premier League 20 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 1
2010–11 Israeli Premier League 34 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 5
2011–12 Israeli Premier League 36 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 4
2012–13 Israeli Premier League 31 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 32 4
2013–14 Israeli Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 123 14 0 0 1 0 0 0 124 14
Celtic 2013–14 Scottish Premiership 15 0 1 0 1 0 3 [a] 0 20 0
2014–15 Scottish Premiership 31 2 5 0 2 0 5 [b] 0 43 2
2015–16 Scottish Premiership 30 5 3 0 2 0 11 [c] 3 46 8
2016–17 Scottish Premiership 26 1 3 0 2 0 8 [a] 1 39 2
2017–18 Scottish Premiership 14 0 1 0 2 0 6 [a] 0 23 0
2018–19 Scottish Premiership 7 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
2019–20 Scottish Premiership 15 0 3 0 2 0 11 [d] 0 31 0
2020–21 Scottish Premiership 13 1 0 0 1 0 6 [e] 0 21 1
2021–22 Scottish Premiership 22 0 0 0 1 0 5 [f] 0 12 0
Total 158 9 19 0 13 0 55 4 245 13
Maccabi Tel Aviv 2022–23 Israeli Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 [41] 0 1 0
Career total 282 23 19 0 14 0 56 4 371 27
  1. ^ National Cup and League Cup appearances for F.C. Ashdod unknown
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ Two appearances in the UEFA Champions League and three appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Six appearances and two goals in the UEFA Champions League and five appearances and one goal in the UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Five appearances in the UEFA Champions League and six appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ One appearance in the UEFA Champions League and five appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  6. ^ One appearance in the UEFA Champions League and four appearances in the UEFA Europa League

International goals

Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bitton goal. [35] [42]
List of international goals scored by Nir Bitton
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 3 September 2015 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel   Andorra 2–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
2 10 October 2015 Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem, Israel   Cyprus 1–1 1–2 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
3 12 November 2021 Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria   Austria 1–0 2–4 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Celtic [15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Nir Bitton". Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  2. ^ "football – Nir BITON". www.football.org.il.
  3. ^ "Nir Biton – Celtic Glasgow – Stats – titles won". www.footballdatabase.eu.
  4. ^ "Nir Biton (Israel) - Under-21 - nav_ - UEFA.com". www.uefa.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013.
  5. ^ Pilcher, Ross (3 February 2019). "Pals Ofir Marciano and Nir Bitton will finally face each other when Hibs play Celtic". Edinburgh Live.
  6. ^ Dunleavy, Brian P. (22 November 2015). "Meet The 24-Year-Old Celtic Midfielder Who's Been Compared To Sergio Busquets". The18. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Israeli Celtic star Nir Bitton and his wife subjected to torrent of online abuse". Jewish News. 6 January 2021.
  8. ^ McStay, Kirsten (11 October 2020). "Nir Bitton's wife shares insight into quarantine regime as Celt tackles virus". Daily Record.
  9. ^ "Nir Bitton". Celtic FC. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  10. ^ "Celtic sign Israeli star, Nir Biton". Celtic FC. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Games Involving Biton, Nir in season 2013/2014". FitbaStats. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  12. ^ "0–2 Vs AC Milan in UEFA Champions League (18/09/2013)". FitbaStats. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  13. ^ a b Cully, Ronnie (13 February 2014). "Biton out for Celtic shot at glory". Evening Times. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  14. ^ "Biton, Nir". FitbaStats. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  15. ^ a b c "N. Biton". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  16. ^ Burns, Cheri (13 August 2015). "St Johnstone 0 – 3 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  17. ^ "Derk Boerrigter accepts two-match ban for 'simulation'". BBC Sport. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  18. ^ "See Bitton hit wonder goal as Celtic edge closer to title with 5–0 win". STV Sport. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  19. ^ Campbell, Andy (12 August 2015). "Kilmarnock 2 – 2 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  20. ^ "Celtic on top but Berget gives Malmö hope". UEFA. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  21. ^ "Bitton signs contract until 2020 with Scottish champions". BBC Sport. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  22. ^ "Celtic: Nir Bitton signs contract extension until 2023". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  23. ^ Lindsay, Clive (13 May 2022). "Celtic: Nir Bitton & Tom Rogic to leave 'at right time' after nine years at the club". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  24. ^ Coyle, Andy (13 May 2022). "Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton to leave Celtic at end of season". STV News. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  25. ^ Davis, Krishan (14 May 2022). "Celtic 6–0 Motherwell: Player ratings as champions celebrate with thumping win". 90min. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  26. ^ Irvine, David (14 May 2022). "Celtic duo Nir Bitton & Tom Rogic given trophy honour as Champions League theme blared at Parkhead". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  27. ^ "Nir Bitton on playing Celtic mentor to 'little boy' Liel Abada as he praises compatriot's impact". Glasgow Times. 31 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Video: Captain Nir Bitton seals the points in Perth". 26 December 2021.
  29. ^ "ניר ביטון: הרצון שלי הוא להמשיך לשחק מעבר לים - ספורט 5". 15 May 2022.
  30. ^ "ניר ביטון סיכם לשנתיים במכבי". מועדון הכדורגל מכבי תל אביב (in Hebrew). 30 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  31. ^ McGinley, John (30 June 2022). "Confirmed: Former Celtic midfielder Nir Bitton makes his next move". 67 Hail Hail. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  32. ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל - עמוד משחק". www.football.org.il.
  33. ^ "סגלי נבחרות ישראל לטורניר הכדורגל של המכביה". Israel Football Association. 9 July 2009. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  34. ^ "England Crushed by Israel's Winning Goal in Jerusalem (Video)". Jewish Press. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  35. ^ a b "Nir Biton". National Football Teams. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  36. ^ "Israel back on track after Andorra stroll". UEFA. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  37. ^ "ניר ביטון: יש לנו במה להתגאות, הגשמתי חלום". 23 March 2016.
  38. ^ "Match Report of Israel vs Faroe Islands – 2021-11-15 – WC Qualification". Global Sports Archive. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  39. ^ Nir Bitton at Soccerbase
  40. ^ "Nir Biton Israel Football Association profile". Israel Football Association. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  41. ^ One appearance in the UEFA Europa Conference League
  42. ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל – Liel Abada".
  43. ^ "Celtic champions & Hearts relegated after SPFL ends season". BBC Sport. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  44. ^ "Dundee United 1–1 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side reclaim league title". BBC Sport. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  45. ^ Celtic win fourth straight Scottish Cup as Hazard's shootout saves break Hearts, Ewan Murray, The Guardian, 20 December 2020
  46. ^ "Rangers 0 – 1 Celtic". BBC Sport. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  47. ^ "Hibernian 1–2 Celtic". BBC Sport.

External links

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