Boris Klaiman

Klaiman was born in Soviet Ukraine and moved to Israel when he was ten months old.[3] He began playing in Hapoel Tel Aviv’s youth department before moving to Hapoel Kfar Saba.[3]

On 15 August 2008, before his eighteenth birthday, he made his senior debut for Kfar Saba in a Toto Cup match against Hapoel Ra’anana.[3] The match ended 0–0, giving him a clean sheet on his debut, and he went on to appear in 13 National League matches that season.[3]

In 2009, Klaiman moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv and spent half a season on loan at Maccabi Herzliya.[3] He returned to Hapoel Tel Aviv in January 2010 while Vincent Enyeama was away at the Africa Cup of Nations, but did not play for the club that season.[3] He nevertheless belonged to the squad that won the domestic double.[3] In 2010–11, he returned to Hapoel Kfar Saba on loan to gain playing time and became its first-choice goalkeeper.[3]

Klaiman represented Israel at the 2013 UEFA Under-21 Championship.[4] In the opening 2–2 draw against Norway, he made a notable save in the 58th minute to prevent another Norwegian goal.[4] In Israel’s final group match, a 1–0 victory over England, he made two saves in the 33rd minute to stop England’s best opportunity of the first half.[5] Israel finished third in the group and England fourth; both teams had already been eliminated.[5]

In October 2013, national-team coach Eli Gutman gave Klaiman his first call-up to Israel’s senior squad, selecting him among 24 players for the final 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Northern Ireland.[6] He was not expected to play in either fixture.[6] His sole senior international appearance came in March 2016, when Israel lost 2–0 to Croatia in a friendly.[2]

Klaiman joined Beitar Jerusalem for the 2014–15 season and remained there for four seasons, making 137 appearances.[1] At Hapoel Tel Aviv, he had mainly watched Vincent Enyeama and Apoula Edel play ahead of him; at Beitar, he received regular opportunities.[7] In an October 2015 match against Bnei Sakhnin, he saved Firas Mugrabi’s penalty in the 73rd minute, preserving Beitar’s victory and securing the three points.[8]

His time at Beitar also included difficulties: in April 2018, he recalled being dropped from the starting lineup earlier that season and hearing sections of the crowd boo him.[7] He said supportive messages from fans had helped him through that period.[7] He also said he had kept eight clean sheets that season, ranked fourth among league goalkeepers for saves, and conceded 29 goals from 329 shots on target.[7] Although he hoped to remain at Beitar, he described playing abroad as a childhood dream.[7] He called goalkeeping a thankless position and said he would not recommend it to his son.[7]

In July 2018, Klaiman moved to Enosis Neon Paralimni in Cyprus, beginning his first playing spell outside the Israeli Premier League.[1][9] He made 47 appearances over two seasons before joining Volos in Greece in summer 2020.[1] During his first season at Volos, he began as the reserve goalkeeper, subsequently won the starting position, and finished with 22 appearances and eight clean sheets.[9] He then signed a new contract covering the following two seasons and received another call-up to Israel’s national-team squad, without adding a further appearance at that time.[9]

By April 2023, Klaiman had played 25 Greek Super League matches that season, conceding 35 goals and keeping nine clean sheets.[1] Volos terminated his contract following his arrest that month.[1] He subsequently joined PAS Giannina and was later loaned to Chania, a Greek second-division club.[10]

In August 2024, Klaiman said that he and PAS Giannina had decided not to continue together.[10] He was considering offers from Israel and Cyprus, although he hoped to remain in Greece with his family.[10]

By 2024, Klaiman was preparing for a possible transition beyond playing while continuing to seek another club.[10] He said the COVID-19 period had shown him that football was his only source of income, prompting him to establish a real-estate company with three other Israelis and oversee its work in Greece.[10] He was also developing work as a mental coach for younger footballers.[10] He said he was not yet retiring and noted that goalkeepers can continue playing into their forties.[10]

Klaiman connected that planned role to setbacks and difficult experiences in football, saying they had shaped him and reinforced the need to confront adversity and become mentally stronger.[10] His playing record included four seasons and 137 appearances for Beitar Jerusalem, spells in Cyprus and Greece, and one senior appearance for Israel.[1][2]

In 2023, Klaiman was arrested in Greece after a 17-year-old Belgian tourist accused him of sexual assault during a night out in Athens; he denied the allegation.[10][1] Initial accounts included reported accusations of rape, sexual harassment, and drug possession, while his Greek lawyer denied the allegations on his behalf.[1] An August 2024 account stated that, following an investigation, the Greek court cancelled the indictment and closed the case, and that DNA and drug-test results were negative.[10]

Volos cut ties with Klaiman after the arrest.[1] Club president Achillea Beu was reported as declaring “zero tolerance” for the allegations.[11] In his 2024 interview, Klaiman said the case had also cost him a proposed two-year contract with AEK Athens.[10] He described feeling “shattered” after his arrest and said the experience had left a lasting emotional scar.[10] Recalling his four days in detention, he said another detainee told him, “I know you, I believe you and I’m your friend”; Klaiman remembered breaking down in tears and embracing the man, who became his closest friend during his detention.[10]