Yuval Ashkenazi

Ashkenazi developed in the youth setup at Hapoel Ramat Gan before spending years in the lower tiers of Israeli football, including spells with Hapoel Azor and Hapoel Kfar Shalem.[1][2] His route through the lower divisions was not straightforward, and his mental coach later recalled: "He fought like a lion and gave his blood in every match."[3]

His rise owed a significant debt to Michel Nathanson, who took Ashkenazi under his wing, funded a fitness coach, and arranged other professional support to give him the best chance of reaching the top flight.[2] Nathanson also approached Bnei Yehuda's owner to secure a trial for Ashkenazi, and head coach Yossi Abukasis was impressed enough to sign him.[2] Ashkenazi was also noted for his dedication in training, reportedly staying around 25 minutes after sessions to work individually until the stadium lights were switched off.[3]

In the summer of 2017, following his performances at Kfar Shalem, Ashkenazi made the jump from Liga Alef to the Israeli Premier League when he joined Bnei Yehuda.[1]

At Bnei Yehuda, Ashkenazi became one of the team's key players and was part of the side that won the 2019 Israel State Cup.[2] In the cup final, he scored the winning penalty in the shootout, delivering the trophy to Bnei Yehuda.[3]

His performances, alongside those of teammate Dolev Haziza, attracted attention from higher-profile clubs. Although the pair arrived at their next destination as relatively modest, little-known recruits, their quality had persuaded Maccabi Haifa to sign them.[3] In his farewell message to Bnei Yehuda, Ashkenazi described the club as his first step in the Premier League and expressed gratitude for the opportunity it had given him to advance his career.[4]

Ashkenazi became a productive member of the Maccabi Haifa squad. In 2019/20, he scored 11 goals and supplied seven assists in all competitions, despite missing matches late in the season due to a shoulder injury.[5] His value to the team was attributed to his mobility, his ability to cover ground from box to box, and his knack for arriving in the penalty area at the right moment—qualities that added an attacking dimension from midfield.[5]

Among his domestic contributions, he opened the scoring in the Haifa derby against Hapoel Haifa at Sammy Ofer Stadium, beating goalkeeper Jasmin Buric after receiving a pass from substitute Sintayehu Sallalich, as Maccabi Haifa went on to win 3-0.[6] In an Israel State Cup tie against Sektzia Ness Ziona, he scored at the stroke of halftime; after the visitors equalized in the 70th minute, Haifa won 3-1 in extra time, with Dolev Haziza adding goals in the 112th and 120th minutes.[7] In the league, he headed in the opening goal in the 26th minute against Ironi Kiryat Shmona from an Ernest Mabouka cross, helping Haifa to a 2-1 win that kept the club three points behind first-place Maccabi Tel Aviv.[8]

Ashkenazi proved particularly effective in European competition. A 2021 report described him as having been close to leaving the club before a decisive cameo against Dinamo Tbilisi: entering in the 80th minute, he had scored twice by the 84th.[2] He followed that performance with another goal off the bench in the subsequent European tie against Torshavn, bringing his tally to nine goals in eleven European matches.[2]

In January 2022, Ashkenazi departed Maccabi Haifa and signed a contract with Maccabi Netanya for a season and a half.[9] The club expected his ability to drive forward from midfield into the penalty area to provide both a technical and aggressive dimension to its play.[9]

After Maccabi Netanya, he went on to represent Bnei Sakhnin and then Beitar Jerusalem, where his last recorded appearance came in May 2024, entering as a substitute for the closing minutes of a Jerusalem derby.[1] In October 2025, after more than a year and a half without playing, he signed for Hapoel Kfar Shalem, returning to the club where he had made his breakthrough.[1]

By July 2026, Ashkenazi was training with Hapoel Ramat Gan—the club where he had developed as a youth—and was tested in a preseason friendly as he sought a return to the top level of Israeli football after a season in the second division with Kfar Shalem.[10] The report did not state that Hapoel Ramat Gan had signed him.[10]

Ashkenazi's career has been distinguished by his ascent from Liga Alef to prominent roles in the Israeli Premier League. His decisive penalty in Bnei Yehuda's 2019 State Cup victory and subsequent transfer to Maccabi Haifa were major milestones, while accounts of his training habits emphasized his willingness to remain after team sessions for additional individual work.[3]

As a midfielder, his documented strengths included mobility, box-to-box coverage and the timing of his runs into the penalty area. Those qualities coincided with 11 goals and seven assists in all competitions in 2019/20 and a record of nine goals in eleven European matches as of August 2021.[5][2]