Eitan Tibi

Tibi grew up at Beitar Haifa before moving to Maccabi Netanya.[5] It was at Maccabi Netanya that scout Dudu Dahan encouraged him to join Beitar Jerusalem, where he was part of the 2006/07 league championship squad.[5][6] During his time there he was loaned to Hapoel Ra'anana for the 2007/08 season, and later played for Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan before returning to Beitar Jerusalem for 2009/10, where he featured mainly as a right back.[5]

Tibi then spent half a season in Belgium with Charleroi, making nine appearances, before returning to Israel to sign a three-and-a-half-year contract with Ironi Kiryat Shmona.[5] He became an important contributor to Kiryat Shmona's historic 2011/12 championship season, the club's first Israeli Premier League title.[5] Despite missing several matches through injury, his performances preceded his first Israel national-team call-up.[7][4]

In August 2012, Tibi invoked a release clause in his Kiryat Shmona contract, valued at approximately €350,000, to join Maccabi Tel Aviv.[7] The move triggered a public dispute: Kiryat Shmona owner Izzy Sheratzky accused Tibi of misleading him, while Tibi's lawyer maintained that the contract gave the player the right to leave for that sum.[7] An arbitration process resulted in his release, and he made his Maccabi Tel Aviv debut in September 2012, appearing in a 1–0 win over Maccabi Netanya.[8]

Tibi spent nine seasons at Maccabi Tel Aviv, becoming one of the club's most decorated players.[4] During that span he collected five Israeli Premier League titles, two State Cups, four Toto Cups, and two Super Cups, while also representing the club across four Europa League campaigns, including two runs to the last 32.[4] He became Maccabi Tel Aviv's record holder for appearances in European competition.[4]

Several individual moments stood out during his Maccabi years. In January 2020, he scored two headed goals from Omer Atzili corner kicks in the closing minutes of a 3–0 league win over Hapoel Hadera—the first in the 87th minute and the second three minutes later.[9] It was reported as the first time a Maccabi Tel Aviv defender had scored a pair of headed goals in a single league match.[9] Tibi reflected afterwards: "I'm a central defender and I don't frequently score, but I'm thrilled that I was able to score and help our team to the win. Hard work is the best way for me to show what I can do."[9]

The 2019/20 season culminated in another title, clinched with a 3–0 victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv in June 2020.[10] Tibi, then 32, had been out for four months before returning to score the second goal, a bicycle kick from a Yonatan Cohen free kick.[10] He dedicated the goal to his recently deceased father, calling the moment exciting and emotional.[10] Contemporary reporting counted it as his fifth league title with Maccabi and seventh overall, although later published totals have differed.[10]

When Tibi departed Maccabi Tel Aviv in June 2021, he reflected on what the club had meant to him: "So how do you say goodbye to a club that was home for me?" He described his nine years there as a period of achievements, experiences, and friendships.[4]

Tibi earned 53 caps for the Israel national team, scoring one international goal.[6] That goal came in October 2017, when he found the net in the 21st minute to give Israel a 1–0 World Cup qualifying win over Liechtenstein.[11] The victory ended a run of four consecutive Israeli defeats and a three-match scoring drought.[11] Israel remained fourth in their World Cup qualifying group with 12 points following the result.[11]

Ahead of the 2021/22 season, Tibi joined Hapoel Be'er Sheva, where he was described as one of the club's important and influential veteran additions.[12] He spent four seasons there.[3] Entering the 2024/25 season, he had made 397 Israeli Premier League appearances, the most among active players at that time.[13] He won a State Cup during that period before adding another in May 2025.[13][3]

His final season at Be'er Sheva proved difficult. He began the campaign as captain in European competition, but was sent off in a Conference League qualifying loss to Mladá Boleslav. It was his 94th European appearance, which set a record for an Israeli player.[3][14] He then suffered two separate injuries during the league campaign and made only five league appearances.[3][14] Despite his limited playing time, he collected what he described, in his own reckoning, as his 20th career title when Hapoel Be'er Sheva won the State Cup in May 2025.[3]

Following his release by Be'er Sheva, Tibi went almost six months without a club while declining offers from second-tier sides in search of a top-division opportunity.[2] In July 2025, he acknowledged that his final season had been frustrating, adding that he would have been happy to return to Beitar Jerusalem.[14] In December 2025, he signed for Maccabi Petah Tikva, then competing in the second tier, through the end of the season with an option to extend.[2] The club viewed the experienced defender as a potential anchor for its young squad and promotion bid, and Tibi stated that helping it return to the Premier League was his goal.[2]

Tibi's career has been marked by longevity, domestic success, and extensive European experience. He entered the 2024/25 season as the active Israeli Premier League player with the most appearances, while his 94th European match established a record for an Israeli player in continental competitions.[13][3] A December 2025 account credited him with 20 team titles, including seven league championships.[2]

His nine-season spell with Maccabi Tel Aviv remains the central period of his career. In addition to becoming the club's record holder for European appearances, he won five league championships, two State Cups, four Toto Cups, and two Super Cups there.[4]

Published sources differ over Tibi's league-championship total. A 2021 Walla Sport report and a December 2025 Sport 5 account counted seven.[6][2] Ynet likewise reported in May 2025 that he had come close to winning an eighth league championship.[3] A 2024 Walla Sport account instead listed six, crediting five with Maccabi Tel Aviv and one with Kiryat Shmona.[13] The sources do not explain the discrepancy.[6][13]

The circumstances of Tibi's 2012 departure from Kiryat Shmona also generated public dispute. Club owner Izzy Sheratzky accused Tibi of misleading him over the move, while Tibi's legal representative maintained that the contract entitled the player to leave for the stated release fee of approximately €350,000.[7] An arbitration process resulted in Tibi's release, and he joined Maccabi Tel Aviv shortly afterwards.[8]