Eyal Berkovich
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Eyal Berkovich (Template:He, also spelled Berkovic, born April 2, 1972 in Haifa) is an Israeli football (soccer) player. He plays as a midfielder. He currently plays for Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
As a football player, Berkovich is considered both as a real professional with a true sportsman attitude towards the game and a football genius, who improves all the players around him and breaks opponents's defences with his masterpiece passes. Although he is not a scorer, he knows when to score crucial goals, some of which are very spectacular. He is hailed by many for his game intelligence and his cunning way of avoiding tackles and fouls from his defenders. He is considered to be one of the best Israeli football players. Because of his amazing assists, he is known in Israel by the nickname Ha-Kosem (lit. "The Wizard").
Aside from his footballing talent, Berkovich is also known for his temperament. He has had several clashes with teammates, most notably with Israeli footballers Reuven Atar and Eli Ohana, and Welsh striker John Hartson. His autobiography "Ha-Kosem" (The Magician)sparked controversy in the Israeli football scene because of the sharp and straight criticism of many of its figures.
Career
Berkovich started his career at Maccabi Haifa in 1989, playing there until 1996. During his time with the club he won the cup and league title several times, including a 'double' in the 1990/91 season. His impressive performances for the club earned him a call-up to the Israeli national team as well the MVP award for 1993/4 season.
For the 1996/97 season, Berkovich was signed by English club Southampton, proving to be a big influence, being a major part of the famous 6-3 victory over Manchester United. The next season he was signed by West Ham United, for whom he played for two seasons before Scottish club Celtic signed him for $10 million (£6.5million). He played for Celtic for only two years before returning to England to join Blackburn Rovers on loan for the 2001/02 season. Again he remained only a short while before earning a permanent move to Manchester City the following year.
Despite becoming a firm favourite with the fans, a fallout with manager Kevin Keegan saw him transferred to Portsmouth for the 2003/04 season. He soon established himself in the first team at Pompey, being a vital part of their drive for Premier League survival.
However, he failed to hold down a regular starting place in the team for the 2004/05 season, and in January 2005 left Portsmouth to return to Israel.
Berkovich is also a regular in the Israel national squad, playing 78 times and scoring 9 goals. He is married and has two children.
External links
- Eyal Berkovich page on Maccabi Haifa official website (http://mhaifa.nana.co.il/Reports/showplayer.asp?playerID=291) (Hebrew)he:אייל ברקוביץ'