Eli Ohana

In 1977, Ohana led the youth league team of Beitar Jerusalem to the state youth title. He stood out for his ability to find the back of the net and was promoted to first team. Beitar played in the second league (Artzit) at the time. Although Ohana did not do well in his first matches, he and Uri Malmilian later pushed the club into the first league (Leumit), and helped to bring the club its first league title and two Israel State Cups. In 1986, Ohana joined Australian club Sydney City on a short-term loan, in which he played five matches. At age 23, Ohana signed with KV Mechelen in Belgium. (The money from the Ohana sale paid for the Bayit VeGan pitches used since then for the team practice.) After one season, Ohana was instrumental in the club winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, becoming the first Israeli soccer player to win a European title. His goal in the semi-final and his assist on the game-winning goal in the final secured his place in Mechelen's history books. Italian magazine Guerin' Sportivo awarded Ohana the Bravo Award, which is given to the best player under 23 in European competition. Ohana also took part in the testimonial match to Oleg Blokhin. Despite his success in Europe, Ohana returned home to sign again with Beitar, which was then playing in the Liga Artzit (Nationwide League). After one season, Ohana helped them return to the Liga Leumit (National League) and then guided the club to a league title. Five years later, Ohana led the club to back-to-back…

Some of his friends are well-known politicians of the right-wing Likud party (Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuven Rivlin), and thus he attended the bar mitzvah celebrations of the son of the Likud party leader in their mutual hometown of Jerusalem, Israel. Ahead of the 2015 elections, Naftali Bennett, the head the right-wing religious Zionist Jewish Home party, placed Ohana on position number ten of his party's election list. After three days of harsh criticism from party members who were displeased by Bennett's choice of an outsider who did not match the party's right-wing character, Ohana withdrew "after being asked to do so by minister Bennett".

Ohana was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel, to an Israeli family of both Sephardi Jewish and Mizrahi Jewish (Moroccan-Jewish) descent, who had immigrated to Israel in 1955, and resided in the Jerusalemite neighbourhood of Kiryat HaYovel. Prior to Ohana's birth, his family initially resided in a ma'abara within the city of Haifa, Israel, and then moved to the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, Israel. Ohana has seven brothers and two sisters, one of whom is from his father's previous marriage. They struggled with financial issues back then. His younger brother is the former footballer Zion Ohana. At age 11, Ohana joined the youth academy of Israeli club of Beitar Jerusalem at the encouragement of his brother Yossi Ohana. His father, a Masorti Jew, was initially opposed but allowed him to join on the condition that he attends synagogue before practice every Saturday (Shabbat). Although great on the field, Ohana had difficulties at school and his brother Yossi advised him to choose between football and school. Ohana who has chosen football, was then invited to reside along with his brother Yossi and his newlywed wife. In 1982, Ohana's girlfriend Sarit Schwarz died in a car accident. Her death drove Ohana into depression and social seclusion. In December 1991, he married Israeli model Ronit Ben-Basat, with whom he had a son, Tom. They separated in 2004, without filing for divorce.

Player

Beitar Jerusalem Israeli championship: 1986–87, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1997–98 Israel State Cup: 1984–85, 1985–86 Toto Cup Top Division: 1997–98 Israel Super Cup: 1986 KV Mechelen Belgian First Division: 1988–89 European Cup Winners Cup: 1987–88 (winners) European Super Cup: 1988 Amsterdam Tournament: 1989 Joan Gamper Trophy: 1989 Jules Pappaert Cup: 1990 Individual Bravo Award: 1988 Israeli Footballer of the Year: Israeli player of the Year: 1984, 1997 Member of the Israeli Football Hall of Fame

Manager

Israeli Head Coach of the Year: 2007