Daniel Peretz

Peretz joined Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth academy at age six and wanted to play as a goalkeeper from the beginning.[7] As a young child shopping with his mother, he put on a pair of goalkeeper gloves and refused to remove them until she bought them, telling her, “I want to be Maccabi Tel Aviv’s goalkeeper.”[7]

He progressed through Maccabi’s youth teams, often playing with older age groups, and was appearing regularly for the club’s youth team by the age of 16½.[7] His involvement with Israel’s national youth teams began in 2016.[8]

During the 2019/20 season, Peretz went on loan to Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam in Israel’s second division, where he served as captain at age 19.[9] On returning to Maccabi Tel Aviv, he initially acted as backup to Daniel Tenenbaum before becoming the first-choice goalkeeper in the 2021/22 season.[5] He made his Maccabi senior-team debut in August 2021.[8]

In September 2021, Peretz signed a contract running through the end of the 2023/24 season, with an option for two additional years.[10] He expressed his happiness at extending his stay with the club he had joined at six, describing the signing as a dream achieved through daily hard work.[10] By the time he left Maccabi for Bayern Munich in August 2023, he had made 102 appearances in competitions other than the Toto Cup.[5]

In September 2022, Peretz saved three penalties in Israel’s under-21 qualifying playoff shootout against Ireland, helping the team reach the European Under-21 Championship for the third time.[11] That November, he made his senior international debut in a friendly against Cyprus.[5]

Israel opened its 2023 European Under-21 Championship campaign with a 1–1 draw against Germany, during which Peretz saved two penalties.[12] He stopped Youssoufa Moukoko’s attempt in the third minute and Jassik Ngankam’s in the 80th minute; Israel played the second half with ten men following Eden Karzev’s dismissal.[12]

The quarterfinal against host Georgia remained scoreless through 120 minutes before Israel won the penalty shootout 4–3.[4] Peretz saved Giorgi Gagua’s attempt, while another Georgian penalty struck the post.[4] The victory took Israel into the semifinals and brought it close to qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics.[4] Across the playoff against Ireland and the tournament matches against Germany and Georgia, Peretz saved six penalties in less than a year.[11]

Peretz kept two clean sheets in his four tournament appearances.[3] He missed the semifinal through suspension, and Israel lost 3–0 to England.[13] By the time of his July 2025 move to Hamburg, he had represented Israel at all youth levels and had played seven senior internationals.[2]

Bayern Munich signed Peretz from Maccabi Tel Aviv in August 2023 on a five-year contract through June 2028, assigning him the No. 18 shirt.[8] Published reports differed on the transfer fee: one placed it at €5 million excluding bonuses, while another reported about €6 million, potentially rising to €7 million with bonuses.[5][9] Peretz held a German passport, and Bayern recruited him while seeking cover for the injured Manuel Neuer, with an initial expectation that he would serve as backup to Sven Ulreich.[9] At the time of the signing, Bayern highlighted his potential and the ability he had already demonstrated in domestic and international competition.[9]

Peretz played the full 90 minutes of Bayern’s 4–0 German Cup victory over Münster.[14] His Bundesliga debut came on the eve of Israel’s Memorial Day, when he replaced Neuer in the 74th minute of a 2–0 victory over VfB Stuttgart.[14] He wore gloves bearing the inscriptions “Remember” and “May Their Memory Be Blessed,” and dedicated the occasion to those who had sacrificed their lives to protect Israel.[14]

In July 2025, Peretz joined Hamburger SV on a season-long loan for the 2025/26 campaign, without a purchase option.[15] Bayern’s stated purpose for the loan was to give him more Bundesliga experience and playing time.[15] Hamburg director of football Claus Costa welcomed him as a goalkeeper who “defends his box with courage” and possesses “an excellent mentality.”[2]

His time at Hamburg brought limited playing opportunities: he made only two cup appearances before moving to Southampton in January 2026.[6] Reflecting on that period after Southampton’s subsequent FA Cup quarterfinal victory over Arsenal, Peretz described the lack of playing time as difficult and contrasted it with the benefits of playing regularly in England.[16]

Peretz joined Southampton on loan from Bayern in January 2026 until the end of the season, with Southampton holding an option to buy him afterward.[6] He said that helping the club return to the Premier League was his goal and that he considered promotion a realistic ambition.[6]

Following Southampton’s 2–1 FA Cup quarterfinal win over Arsenal, Peretz emphasized that his contribution belonged within a wider team effort, crediting improved chemistry and other changes to the squad.[16] Discussing the difference from his Hamburg experience, he said, “But in life and football there are ups and downs. Thank God I feel great now and playing regularly contributes a lot to it,” emphasizing the importance of minutes on the pitch.[16]

Southampton made the transfer permanent in June 2026, signing Peretz to a four-year contract.[1] After arriving midway through the season, he made 26 appearances in all competitions and played every minute of the club’s 21-match unbeaten Championship run, keeping eight clean sheets during that sequence.[1] His league record during the loan comprised 22 appearances, eight clean sheets and one defeat.[17] Southampton also reached the FA Cup semifinals, with his performances against Fulham, Arsenal and Manchester City among those highlighted at the end of the season; the cup run ended in a semifinal defeat to Manchester City.[1][17]

By October 30, 2026, Peretz had started Southampton’s previous four league matches and kept three clean sheets in them.[18] The fan site Saints Marching named him Southampton’s player of the month for October.[18] His performances that month included a stoppage-time save against West Ham that prevented an equalizer and preserved a 3–2 victory.[18]

Peretz’s penalty saves contributed to both Israel’s qualification for the 2023 European Under-21 Championship and its progress to the semifinals.[11][4] His Bundesliga debut also became an occasion for a public expression of remembrance: he called it “An emotional moment I'll never forget, especially on such a significant evening for our country,” dedicating it to the men and women who had sacrificed their lives to protect Israel.[14]