Maor Melikson

Melikson was born on 30 October 1984 and began his senior football career with Maccabi Yavne in the 2001/02 season.[1] He moved to Beitar Jerusalem, where he spent four seasons from 2002/03 through 2005/06.[1] During his time at Beitar Jerusalem, he made 111 appearances and scored eight goals.[2]

After his years at Beitar Jerusalem, Melikson was described in a 2006 preview as a "dynamic forward" preparing to join Maccabi Haifa, where he went on to make 24 appearances and score one goal.[3][2] He then moved to Hapoel Kfar Saba before joining Hapoel Be'er Sheva in 2008, where he became a team leader and played a key role in helping the club return to the Israeli Premier League.[2] In his first top-flight season following that promotion, he recorded nine goals and 11 assists.[2]

In January 2011, Melikson joined Polish club Wisła Kraków, where he was described as a "resounding success" — his move proved so influential that three other Israeli players followed him to the club, including Dudu Biton, who became his teammate.[4] At Wisła, Melikson won the Polish championship.[2] He subsequently moved to French club Valenciennes, for whom he made 54 appearances, scoring four goals and providing seven assists.[2] A thigh injury delayed his return debut when he came back to Hapoel Be'er Sheva in 2014 after three years in Poland and France.[5]

Back at Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Melikson became a central figure in one of the most celebrated periods in the club's history. He was part of the side that won three consecutive Israeli league titles.[2] In the title-clinching match of the 2015/16 season, Beersheba beat Bnei Sakhnin 3–1 at Turner Stadium on the final day, finishing two points ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv and claiming the club's first league championship since 1976.[6] Melikson scored in the 40th minute, curling the ball into the bottom-right corner to restore Beersheba's lead, and had also orchestrated the move for Maor Buzaglo's equalizer earlier in the game.[6]

Melikson also contributed significantly to Hapoel Be'er Sheva's European adventures. In July 2017, after the club defeated Honved 3–2 in Hungary to advance 5–3 on aggregate to the Champions League third qualifying round, he said the team would improve as the season progressed and expressed that reaching the Champions League group stage with Beersheba "would undoubtedly be the highlight of my career."[7] The club had narrowly missed the group stage the previous season, losing 5–4 on aggregate to Celtic in the final playoff round.[7] Hapoel Be'er Sheva's European run during this era also included a campaign to the Europa League round of 32 that featured two victories over Inter Milan.[2]

In the 2017/18 season, Melikson led the Israeli Premier League in assists, recording 16.[2] He subsequently suffered a serious abdominal-muscle injury that kept him sidelined for seven months, and despite long rehabilitation and intensive training, he was unable to return to his previous level.[2] He announced his retirement on 1 January 2020, aged 35.[2] At his retirement press conference, he said: "This love took us from the National League to San Siro and Celtic Park. How powerful love is."[8] He also reflected that, despite succeeding in Poland and France, he would have preferred not to have left Be'er Sheva for Europe.[8] His career totals at Hapoel Be'er Sheva stand at 316 appearances, 55 goals, and 78 assists.[8]

Melikson represented Israel at senior international level and scored three goals, although retrospectives disagree on whether he made 23 or 25 appearances.[2][8] One of his most notable international appearances came in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg, where Israel won 6–0. Tomer Hemed scored a hat-trick, while Maharan Radi, Eden Ben-Basat, and Melikson scored the other goals.[9]

Following his retirement, Melikson remained within Hapoel Be'er Sheva's structure, initially serving as an assistant coach.[10] From 2021, he took on the role of professional director of the club's youth department, describing the transition as learning the job from the ground up — consulting coaches and managers, studying video editing, training systems, and data analysis.[11] He outlined a vision for building a development structure based on video analysis and modern coaching tools, with the aim of preparing players for the senior squad while giving younger players a strong foundation.[11]

In August 2023, Melikson decided to leave his assistant-coaching post under manager Aliniv Barda and take an indefinite break from football.[12] He had considered leaving at the end of the previous season but agreed to begin the new one before concluding during the club's European matches that he needed time away to recharge.[12]

In 2023, Melikson also disclosed that he had suffered a heart attack during the summer while at home. He described experiencing chest pain and difficulty breathing, going to Soroka Medical Center, undergoing tests and a catheterization, and being told that a blood test indicated a hormone associated with a heart attack — though doctors were unable to explain exactly what had caused the episode.[10]

Melikson began writing during the period when a complex injury confined him to home.[13] His first book, Dardaleh LaHibburim – The Other Side of Football, grew from notes and short pieces he had started on his computer, with his father encouraging the project before his death.[13] The book was published in November 2022.[13] In August 2023, Melikson launched a second volume, Dardaleh LaHibburim 2, and said he was developing a television series based on the language, slang, and humor of the books.[13]

Melikson's legacy is closely associated with Hapoel Be'er Sheva's rise from the second tier to sustained domestic and European success. Across two spells with the club, he made 316 appearances, scored 55 goals, and provided 78 assists.[8] He helped Be'er Sheva win three consecutive league championships and reach the Europa League round of 32, a campaign that included two victories over Inter Milan.[2] His retirement remarks emphasized the bond he had developed with the club and its supporters, describing a journey from the National League to matches at San Siro and Celtic Park.[8]

While playing for Wisła Kraków in 2011 and holding a Polish passport, Melikson was considered for Poland's national team ahead of Euro 2012, drawing significant public attention in Israel.[2][14] In August 2011, Ynet reported that he had chosen to forgo the option of representing Poland and would continue with Israel; he stated that he was an Israeli citizen and that this mattered to him, and noted he had already played several times for Israel.[15]

However, by September 2011, the situation had shifted. Melikson announced that he would play for neither Israel nor Poland at that time.[16] In an interview, he said that although he had briefly decided he would play for Poland, he had not felt at peace with that decision — describing the ensuing days as the most difficult of his life. "My heart wouldn't let me play for Poland," he said.[16] He also disclosed that the controversy had brought him death threats.[16][14] At that point, his senior Israel appearances totaled only two friendlies.[16] Melikson ultimately continued his international career with Israel and later scored in a competitive fixture against Luxembourg.[9]