Dudu Aouate
Encyclopedia
David "Dudu" Aouate is an Israel
i footballer who plays for RCD Mallorca
in Spain
, as a goalkeeper.
at youth level, as an understudy to Nir Davidovich
. Wanting first team football he was loaned to Hapoel Nazareth Illit but never got a real chance until he transferred to Hapoel Haifa FC, having been assured that he would be the club's first-choice, but he again found himself struggling to establish himself as such.
Early in the 1998–99 season, however, the team's regular, Avi Peretz, was injured and Aouate took his place. Hapoel eventually won the championship that year and he was praised for his performances. By the time Peretz recovered, Aouate was irreplaceable.
Aouate's performances for Hapoel saw him get called up to the Israel national football team
in 1999. In 2001–02, Aouate returned to Maccabi Haifa as a cover for Davidovich who was seriously injured. They won the championship, and Aouate established himself as the undisputed first-choice. He also gained increasing recognition after performing fabulously for the national team, and was soon considered by many the leading goalkeeper in the country.
During the 2002–03 season, Aouate was the starter as Maccabi played in the UEFA Champions League
, the first time an Israeli squad made it to the group stage of the competition. Haifa finished in third place in their group following a historic victory over powerhouse Manchester United
, finishing runners-up in the league, to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Aouate's solid performances earned him a move to Europe
an football, with Spanish
club Racing de Santander
signing him on 17 July 2003.
Aouate's move to Spain was made easier by the fact that he obtained a French
passport, thus not counting as a foreigner. After forcing his way into the starting line-up in 2004–05
(playing 74 matches in his final two years) due to Ricardo
's loan return to Manchester United, Aouate signed a four-year contract with fellow La Liga
outfit Deportivo de La Coruña
in August 2006, in a swap deal involving three players plus €
1.5 million. He quickly paid back the confidence of Deportivo with an excellent season (playing in all 38 matches). Don Balón
, a Spanish football magazine
, placed Aouate eighth on their list of La Liga's Footballer of the Year in 2006–07.
In 2007–08, in January 2008, after losing first-choice status to Uruguay
an Gustavo Munúa
, both goalkeepers were involved in a post-training punching session that resulted in both being suspended for the match against Villarreal CF
, as well as subsequent league games. In February, due to B-team
keeper Fabri
's inexperience, both players were reinstated in the squad, with the Israeli regaining top-goalkeeper duties.
In late December, as he had been training separately with Munúa, not being part of Depor manager Miguel Ángel Lotina
's plans, Aouate signed with RCD Mallorca
for approximately €1 million until June 2011, as the Balearic Islands
outfit was struggling in the league and dealing with an injury to first-choice Miguel Ángel Moyà
.
On 8 January 2009, Aouate made his debut for Mallorca in his team's 3–1 Spanish Cup win over UD Almería
. Four days later, with Moyá still injured, he appeared in a 3–0 league loss at Real Madrid
.
, Aouate was asked about the significance of Yom Kippur
and some general questions about the prohibitions of the holiday. Aouate added that he understood that playing football in this holiday was not allowed, but stated that if forced to play against Real Sociedad
, in a September 2006 match, he would. His comments swirled a huge controversy in Israel
with even a member of the Shas
party calling for Aouate to be removed from the national team.
In September 2010, Aouate decided not to play against CA Osasuna
because the game was supposed to start 18 minutes before the end of the Jewish fast day, and Mallorca accepted his rationale.
se supporters. Additionally, they waved Palestinian flag
s and called him "a murderer". The Royal Spanish Football Federation set up an inquiry into the incident, this being already the second time the player faced such abuse (the previous occurrence also being against Osasuna in 2006, while Aouate was with Deportivo).
call-up, which concluded on October 10, 1999 with his debut, a UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier against Spain
(0–3 loss). Since then, he became an integral member of the national team set-up.
Maccabi Haifa
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i footballer who plays for RCD Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, as a goalkeeper.
Club career
Aouate began his career at Maccabi Haifa F.C.Maccabi Haifa F.C.
Maccabi Haifa Football Club is an Israeli football team from the city of Haifa, a section of Maccabi Haifa sports club. The club has won 12 championships, 5 State Cups and 4 Toto Cups...
at youth level, as an understudy to Nir Davidovich
Nir Davidovich
Nir Davidovich is an Israeli goalkeeper who plays for Maccabi Haifa football club and the Israeli national team.Davidovich plays as the senior goalkeeper in the Israeli national team. Davidovich suffered from 3 serious injuries but managed to recover and lead Maccabi Haifa to its 8th championship,...
. Wanting first team football he was loaned to Hapoel Nazareth Illit but never got a real chance until he transferred to Hapoel Haifa FC, having been assured that he would be the club's first-choice, but he again found himself struggling to establish himself as such.
Early in the 1998–99 season, however, the team's regular, Avi Peretz, was injured and Aouate took his place. Hapoel eventually won the championship that year and he was praised for his performances. By the time Peretz recovered, Aouate was irreplaceable.
Aouate's performances for Hapoel saw him get called up to the Israel national football team
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
in 1999. In 2001–02, Aouate returned to Maccabi Haifa as a cover for Davidovich who was seriously injured. They won the championship, and Aouate established himself as the undisputed first-choice. He also gained increasing recognition after performing fabulously for the national team, and was soon considered by many the leading goalkeeper in the country.
During the 2002–03 season, Aouate was the starter as Maccabi played in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, the first time an Israeli squad made it to the group stage of the competition. Haifa finished in third place in their group following a historic victory over powerhouse Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, finishing runners-up in the league, to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Aouate's solid performances earned him a move to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an football, with Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
club Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
signing him on 17 July 2003.
Aouate's move to Spain was made easier by the fact that he obtained a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
passport, thus not counting as a foreigner. After forcing his way into the starting line-up in 2004–05
2004–05 La Liga
2004–05 season was composed of the following clubs:* Albacete Balompié* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Real Betis* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Levante UD* Málaga CF* Real Mallorca* CD Numancia* CA Osasuna...
(playing 74 matches in his final two years) due to Ricardo
Ricardo López Felipe
Ricardo López Felipe , simply Ricardo, is a Spanish footballer who plays for CA Osasuna as a goalkeeper.-Club career:...
's loan return to Manchester United, Aouate signed a four-year contract with fellow La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
outfit Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
in August 2006, in a swap deal involving three players plus €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
1.5 million. He quickly paid back the confidence of Deportivo with an excellent season (playing in all 38 matches). Don Balón
Don Balón
Don Balón was a Spanish weekly sports magazine specialising in Spanish and international football. It was distributed on five continents....
, a Spanish football magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, placed Aouate eighth on their list of La Liga's Footballer of the Year in 2006–07.
In 2007–08, in January 2008, after losing first-choice status to Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an Gustavo Munúa
Gustavo Munúa
Gustavo Adolfo Munúa Vera is an Uruguayan footballer who plays for Levante UD in the Spanish first division, as a goalkeeper....
, both goalkeepers were involved in a post-training punching session that resulted in both being suspended for the match against Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
, as well as subsequent league games. In February, due to B-team
Deportivo de La Coruña B
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña B, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the reserve team of Deportivo de La Coruña....
keeper Fabri
Fabricio Agosto Ramírez
Fabricio Agosto Ramírez , Fabricio or Fabri for short, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Real Betis as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
's inexperience, both players were reinstated in the squad, with the Israeli regaining top-goalkeeper duties.
In late December, as he had been training separately with Munúa, not being part of Depor manager Miguel Ángel Lotina
Miguel Ángel Lotina
Miguel Ángel Lotina Oruechebarría is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker, and a current manager.-Playing career:...
's plans, Aouate signed with RCD Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
for approximately €1 million until June 2011, as the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
outfit was struggling in the league and dealing with an injury to first-choice Miguel Ángel Moyà
Miguel Àngel Moyà
Miguel Ángel Moyà Rumbo is a Spanish footballer who plays for Getafe CF on loan from Valencia CF, as a goalkeeper.-Club career:...
.
On 8 January 2009, Aouate made his debut for Mallorca in his team's 3–1 Spanish Cup win over UD Almería
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
. Four days later, with Moyá still injured, he appeared in a 3–0 league loss at Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
.
Yom Kippur controversy
In an interview with Spain's Diario ASDiario AS
Diario AS is a Spanish daily sports newspaper, concentrating particularly on football.It particularly covers news of the principal Madrid football teams, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, in which it competes directly with MARCA....
, Aouate was asked about the significance of Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
and some general questions about the prohibitions of the holiday. Aouate added that he understood that playing football in this holiday was not allowed, but stated that if forced to play against Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
, in a September 2006 match, he would. His comments swirled a huge controversy in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
with even a member of the Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...
party calling for Aouate to be removed from the national team.
In September 2010, Aouate decided not to play against CA Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...
because the game was supposed to start 18 minutes before the end of the Jewish fast day, and Mallorca accepted his rationale.
Antisemitism
In December 2009, during a match between Osasuna and Mallorca, Aouate was subjected to antisemitic chants coming from the NavarreNavarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
se supporters. Additionally, they waved Palestinian flag
Palestinian flag
The Palestinian flag is based on the Flag of the Arab Revolt, and is used to represent the Palestinian people , and the Palestinian Authority.-Description:...
s and called him "a murderer". The Royal Spanish Football Federation set up an inquiry into the incident, this being already the second time the player faced such abuse (the previous occurrence also being against Osasuna in 2006, while Aouate was with Deportivo).
International career
Aouate's strong domestic form earned him a first internationalIsrael national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
call-up, which concluded on October 10, 1999 with his debut, a UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
(0–3 loss). Since then, he became an integral member of the national team set-up.
Honours
Hapoel Haifa- Israeli League: 1998–99
- Toto CupToto CupThe Toto Cup is an association football tournament that exists separately in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Premier League and Liga Leumit....
: 2000–01
Maccabi Haifa
- Israeli League: 2001–02
- Toto CupToto CupThe Toto Cup is an association football tournament that exists separately in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Premier League and Liga Leumit....
: 2001–02
See also
- List of select Jewish association football players