Avi Ran
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Avi Ran | ||
| Date of birth | August 25, 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Haifa, Israel | ||
| Date of death | July 11, 1987 (aged 23) | ||
| Place of death | Tiberias, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981-1987 | Maccabi Haifa | 165 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1986-1987 | Israel | 9 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Avi Ran (August 25, 1963 - July 11, 1987) was a goalkeeper at the Israeli football club Maccabi Haifa. Widely considered one of the greatest football players in Israel, he had a promising future which was cut short by a fatal accident.
Football career
1981/1982 season at the age of 17, started his debut as a senior for Maccabi Haifa match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, and kept his goal clean. Ran went on to play for most of the season, when he competes on and off the goalie vest with Zadok Avrahami. The competition was tough, but Ran was known for his perseverance and diligence in training, as well as his good manners and social character which earned him a social status loud and sympathetic off the court. A season later, he found himself less than Ran partner, and competition with Abraham was more difficult.
1983/1984 season came to Maccabi Haifa Shlomo Scharf. Porter was looking for a new coach and veteran instead of 20 year old Ran, seeking the release Ran to place the Arie Haviv from Hapoel Yehud. Being a popular social figure in the group, led Wren wave of protests from a number of players such as Baruch Maman and Ronnie Rosenthal, who asked him to stay, but he would not hear them. Yohanan Volach, "brain vocational", Maccabi Haifa, who was a devoted follower of relying on the players home and have already prevented the release of many players, including Rosenthal, Moshe Selektar, Rafi Osmo and Joseph Kramer, torpedoed the move and managed to prevent the release of Ran. Volach believed gatekeeper young, and knew his ability when he was a child, both as a player in Maccabi Haifa's children, and his wife Rachel student's school principal Mishlav, which earned Championship in football. He was also a member of Volach father, Ran.
Ran did not disappoint, and the beams of Haifa revealed an excellent goalkeeper, who quickly crowned as his successor newspapers Ya'akov Hodorov. Ran helped to Haifa to win the first time in its history, while absorbing 28 goals. Wren's second season has already established him as one of the key players of Maccabi Haifa, while breaking a club record and took only 18 goals this season. That season was Haifa close to winning the double and reached the cup final, which lost to Beitar Jerusalem. In 1986, faced Maccabi Haifa Championship third in a row and led the table for most of the season. Ran excelled and he was named both the season, but his team lost the championship to Hapoel Tel Aviv in circulation last.
That same year, the first time the team was summoned Israel, the foreign game against Scotland. So also were suggestions sales group in Europe, including Liverpool, exhibition games held in Israel Ran introduced one of his best games career. Liverpool were very impressed by the concierge of Haifa and wanted to sign him. Ren played nine games the team, of which eight resulted in a loss (and defeats) and a draw one, so in a couple of top teams in the world, Brazil, Argentina and West Germany team.
In 1987, Maccabi Haifa finished at the back of the table, in ninth place, but Rennes maintained its status as a key player in the group, the era of many key players were released at the club.
- Won 2 championships with Maccabi Haifa.
- Conceded only 18 goals in the 1985-86 season, the lowest in Maccabi Haifa's history.
- Won Maariv's 1986 "footballer of the year" award (i.e. the MVP of the season).
- Was goalkeeper of the Israeli national team.
Fatal accident
On 11 July 1987, Ran was killed on the "Guy" beach in Tiberias when he was hit by a passing racing boat whilst Maccabi Haifa were celebrating their championship in the Sea of Galilee. 14,000 people attended Ran's funeral.
Career statistics
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Israel | League | Israel State Cup | Toto Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1981-82 | Maccabi Haifa | Liga Leumit | 30 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1982-83 | 30 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1983-84 | 30 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1984-85 | 25 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1985-86 | 10 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1986-87 | 20 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Total | Israel | 145 | 0 | |||||||||
| Career total | 145 | 0 | ||||||||||