Idan Vered

Vered came through the youth system at Hakoah Ramat Gan Amidar, where he also made his senior debut.[1] By 2009, still around 20 years old, he had moved to Beitar Jerusalem, where a season preview in The Jerusalem Post identified him as a forward who had just completed a breakthrough campaign and was being watched as a potential future star for the club.[2]

Vered later recalled that, while at Beitar, he chose Maccabi Haifa over a more lucrative offer from Maccabi Tel Aviv, a decision that shaped the early arc of his career.[3] His choice proved consequential: in his first season under coach Elisha Levy he was a regular starter, contributing four goals and 12 assists, and won the championship.[4]

Vered spent five years at Maccabi Haifa after leaving Beitar Jerusalem.[4] He remained a regular starter in his second season with the club before gradually becoming more of a squad player in subsequent years.[4] In his final season at Haifa he rediscovered a prolific touch, finishing as the club's leading scorer with eight goals.[4]

Among the highlights of his time there was a decisive contribution in March 2015: playing as a midfielder, Vered scored in the 90th minute of a 2–0 derby win over Hapoel Haifa, a result that clinched Maccabi Haifa's place in the Premier League championship playoffs.[5] During what he described as a peak individual season, he recorded 13 goals and 10 assists.[3]

After five years at Maccabi Haifa, Vered sought a new challenge abroad and signed with Red Star Belgrade, giving up substantial money to do so after an agent promised the club would build its plans around him.[4] He started 12 matches but did not stand out, and the two parties parted ways in January.[4] He later called the move a mistake, while acknowledging that the experience had strengthened him.[4] Red Star Belgrade won the Serbian league title that season, a championship with which Vered is credited.[1]

From Serbia, Vered moved to Ottawa Fury FC of the North American Soccer League in early 2016. A Jerusalem Post report from April of that year described him as having quickly settled at the Canadian club after a frustrating start to the season at Red Star, framing the move as an opportunity to kick-start his career.[6] The stint at Ottawa was his only spell in North America.[1]

Vered returned to Beitar Jerusalem, eventually rising to the captaincy there.[7] In May 2017 he was listed in the Israeli national squad for upcoming matches against Moldova and Albania, although the report did not establish whether he played in either fixture.[8] A later Sport 5 report credited him with two senior appearances for Israel.[1] His time at Beitar also brought a domestic cup triumph to his honours.[1]

His return to the club was interrupted by a severe illness. In a 2017 interview he described an episode that began with vomiting and progressed to an inability to keep down food and, at its worst, liquids.[9] After examinations at Hadassah Medical Center and other facilities, Crohn's disease and several other conditions were ruled out, and he was eventually diagnosed with esophageal dysfunction.[9] He was hospitalised for a week, lost approximately five kilograms, and missed four matches.[9] Reflecting on the experience, Vered said: "There were moments when I didn't want a career or football or anything—just to be a person who could get up in the morning and eat and drink like everyone else."[9]

Despite the setback, Vered rebuffed a 2017/18 offer from Maccabi Tel Aviv that he later said was 2.5 times his Beitar salary, choosing to remain at the club.[3]

From Beitar Jerusalem, Vered moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv, signing a two-year contract and taking on a veteran leadership role as the club sought to build on the previous season's strong finish.[7][1] In September 2022 he agreed to a 20% salary reduction to remain at Hapoel Tel Aviv for an additional season.[1] His playing time grew limited, however, and in February 2023—having made only around eight appearances totalling about 180 minutes that season—he sought and received his release.[10]

Vered joined Hapoel Petah Tikva, then competing in Israel's second division, explaining that despite offers from top-flight clubs, Hapoel Petah Tikva had shown the strongest interest and that he was motivated by the club's supporters and the expectations they carried.[10] He said: "I want to play and lead a team."[10] By 2024 he moved across town to Maccabi Petah Tikva, where he was expected to serve as one of the veteran leaders for the 2024/25 season.[11] He signed again with Maccabi Petah Tikva in October 2025 on a contract through the end of that season, by which point he was 36 years old.[12]

In August 2026, at 37, Vered was described as still training and weighing offers, having said he would consider joining only a club where he felt he could give his full effort. He acknowledged thinking more seriously about retirement than at any earlier stage of his career.[13] Emphasizing his long spells at his two principal clubs, he reflected: "Until age 32 I was at two clubs throughout my career—Maccabi Haifa and Beitar Jerusalem. That's it."[3]

Beyond football, Vered developed a public profile around social and mental-health advocacy. In a 2021 profile, he discussed his experiences with anxiety and said he had delivered 115 lectures on the subject to children, parents, pilots, military personnel and technology workers, seeking to encourage more open discussion and access to support.[14]

In 2020, while serving as captain of Beitar Jerusalem, Vered appeared before the Knesset's Special Committee for the Rights of the Child to speak about children missing school meals during the coronavirus crisis.[15] He said he had been moved to act after learning of Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford's campaign against child food insecurity in the United Kingdom.[15]

Addressing the committee, Vered stated: "I'm a father. From March until today, some 400,000 children aren't getting the meals to which they are entitled because of bureaucracy, not money. It's infuriating. Some of them can't study because they're hungry."[15] He pressed lawmakers further: "Can't our startup nation, which knows how to fight wars, find some way for these children to be able to eat?"[15] A report published alongside his testimony separately noted that around 420,000 kindergarten and elementary-school pupils were legally eligible for daily hot meals under Israeli law.[15]

Vered is an investor in SkillSet, a football-training application, and has been involved in the company's business development.[14] His connection to the company began unexpectedly: on a flight from Serbia to Israel, Vered was assigned to row 17—away from his bachelor-party group seated in row 2—and found himself next to one of SkillSet's founders, who was working on a football presentation. Vered noticed the material and struck up a conversation that eventually led to his involvement with the startup.[14]

By 2026, Vered was also discussing a post-playing ambition to own a modest football club. He said he had held talks with several municipalities and envisioned a club whose senior and youth teams would follow a shared footballing approach.[13]

In the summer of 2014, during a pre-season friendly between Maccabi Haifa and Lille held in Bischofshofen, Austria, protesters invaded the pitch. Maccabi Haifa stated that Vered and teammate Dekel Keinan were physically accosted before police intervened. The report also cited police and other named sources in its account of the politically charged disturbance. The match was abandoned with Lille leading 2–0, and no players were reported injured.[16]

Separately, sources differ on the details of Vered's transfer from Beitar Jerusalem to Maccabi Haifa. A 2016 interview places the move in 2011 at a fee of one million euros, while a 2025 interview refers to the year 2010 and a reported fee of one million dollars described as a record amount. These accounts have not been independently reconciled.[4][3]