Yonatan Cohen (Footballer)

Cohen was born on June 29, 1996, and developed in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth system.[1][2] His father, Miki Cohen, also played for Maccabi and scored the equalizer in the 1988 State Cup final against Hapoel Tel Aviv.[3]

Cohen’s early senior career included loan spells at Beitar Tel Aviv-Ramla and Bnei Yehuda.[2] With Bnei Yehuda, he won the State Cup in the 2016/17 season and converted one of the penalties in the final’s shootout.[6][2] He subsequently returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he became a leading player and won two league championships before his move to Italy.[2]

By October 2019, Cohen had scored 15 goals in 44 appearances over the preceding two seasons and had become an Israel national-team player.[7] That month, he signed a new Maccabi contract intended to run through the end of the 2023/24 season, with his reported annual salary increasing from $120,000 to $270,000.[7] The agreement contained no European release clause and followed interest from Austria Vienna and Russian clubs.[7] Cohen said he was happy to remain at the club where he had grown up and felt at home.[7]

In a 4–3 victory over Maccabi Haifa at Sammy Ofer Stadium during the 2019/20 season, Cohen scored following a missed penalty and added another goal in injury time.[6] At that stage of the season, he had eight goals and six assists.[6] Asked about Eran Zahavi after the match, he said: “Eran is an amazing player and I really like him, but I'm Yonatan Cohen and I play my own game.”[6] He finished the 2019/20 league season with 11 assists, leading the Israeli Premier League in that category.[2]

In the 2021 State Cup final against Hapoel Tel Aviv, Cohen came off the bench to score Maccabi’s equalizer in a match his team won 2–1.[3] His goal repeated his father’s achievement in the 1988 final, making them the first father and son to score in State Cup finals between the two Tel Aviv clubs.[3]

For the 2021/22 season, Cohen joined Pisa in Italy’s second division, making his first move abroad.[2] He did not establish himself there and returned to Maccabi after one season.[2] Maccabi paid €1.3 million to bring him back, a fee that ranked among the most expensive transfers in the club’s history.[2]

Cohen left Maccabi for Melbourne City ahead of the 2024/25 A-League season.[2] Maccabi released him without a transfer fee, while he agreed to give up the remainder of his contract.[2] On his debut against Newcastle Jets on October 19, 2024, his header helped set up Marco Tilio’s winning goal in a 1–0 victory; Cohen played 65 minutes.[8]

His Australian season culminated in the winning goal against Melbourne Victory in the A-League playoff final.[4] In the tenth minute, he reached a rebound and scored with his left foot, securing a 1–0 derby victory and Melbourne City’s second championship, following its 2021 title.[4] The goal was his sixth in all competitions that season, across 19 appearances, alongside three assists.[4]

After Melbourne City, Cohen became a free agent and joined Hapoel Petah Tikva in 2025, returning to Israel’s top division.[9] Petah Tikva was his third Israeli top-flight club, after Bnei Yehuda and Maccabi Tel Aviv, and his agreement included an option to leave in January.[9] By that point, his domestic honors included three league championships with Maccabi and two State Cups, one each with Maccabi and Bnei Yehuda.[9]

In July 2026, Cohen was presented as a Bangkok United player after signing a one-season contract, with an expected salary of approximately $350,000 net.[5] Thailand became his third playing destination outside Israel, following Italy and Australia.[5] He began his Bangkok spell with two assists for Waratp Pomphan in a 3–1 opening-round victory over Sisaket, including a through ball for the third goal, and played 75 minutes.[10]

Cohen missed Bangkok United’s September 2026 league match against BG Pathum United because it fell on Yom Kippur.[11] He explained that, after three years playing abroad, this was the first occasion on which the holiday coincided with a match he was due to play, saying: “There are moments when values and faith are above everything.”[11]

By October 11, 2026, Cohen had three assists after four Thai league rounds and led the assists table.[1] On October 18, he suffered an injury against Port MTI and left the match in the 21st minute; Bangkok United lost 2–0.[12]

Cohen’s State Cup record includes a distinctive family achievement: his 2021 equalizer and Miki Cohen’s 1988 equalizer made them the first father-son pair in Israeli football to score in cup finals between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv.[3] His club achievements also extended beyond Israel, with his decisive goal in the 2024/25 A-League playoff final delivering Melbourne City’s second championship.[4]

During Cohen’s second appearance in Australia, a 3–1 Melbourne City derby defeat to Melbourne Victory in October 2024, some opposition supporters booed him when he touched the ball in the first half.[13] The broadcast commentator linked the reaction to those supporters’ opposition to Israeli military actions; that explanation was the commentator’s characterization of the crowd’s motives.[13] Melbourne City coach Aurelio Vidmar praised Cohen and said he could not control the crowd’s behavior.[13]