Gai Assulin
Encyclopedia
Gai Yigaal Assulin is an Israel
i professional footballer who plays for Manchester City
and the Israel national under-21 football team
, mainly as a winger or attacking midfielder. Assulin has however been capped once by the Israel national football team
and currently holds the record as the youngest player to ever represent Israel in an international match at senior level.
, Assulin started his career in the football school of Hapoel Haifa. In 1999 at the age of seven, Assulin moved to the Beitar Tubruk youth ranks. In 2003, when he was just 12, Shlomo Scharf
, his team coach, proposed to Assulin's parents to consider taking their young prospect to try out for FC Barcelona
's youth ranks. They did, and he was accepted.
team, and was offered a new contract, a senior contract (a contract granted only after the player turns 16) for another three years and a €20M buy-out clause. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Barcelona B won the league title with 83 points, just one ahead of Sant Andreu
. The manager, Josep Guardiola
, was promoted to the job of senior team manager. Gai Assulin was rumored to be one of the players that Guardiola would promote to the first team.
due to an injury, Assulin got an invitation to participate in pre-season matches with Barcelona first team. Assulin appeared in three of Barcelona's six pre-season fixtures; against Tottenham Hotspur
, Al-Ahly
and Manchester City
. He made his debut first-team start in a competitive match of the Copa del Rey
against Cultural Leonesa
on 28 October 2009, before being replaced by Éric Abidal
after 56 minutes. Due to the lengthy 2009–10 season many Barcelona players were given breaks towards the end of the year. This meant that the first team were going to be a few men short, so on 29 December 2009, four Barça B players were called up by Barcelona's first team by coach Josep Guardiola. Among these four were Assulin, and team-mates Víctor Vázquez
, Thiago Alcântara
, and Jonathan dos Santos
.
On 1 July 2010, Assulin and Barcelona announced that by mutual consent Assulin's contract would not be renewed and he became a free agent. Barcelona offered him a three-year contract but as they could not offer him a guaranteed first-team squad position and instead sought to develop him at Barcelona B, he refused the offer. Assulin also had a complicated relationship with the then manager of Barcelona B, Luis Enrique
.
Assulin's agent, Pini Zahavi
, said: “The decision not to renew Gai’s contract was mutually taken by us and the club. At the moment we are considering his professional options.”
Academy team against Young Ajax, in a match slated as a test run for a future youth Champions League
.
Assulin finally signed a contract with City on 13 December 2010.
The early part of 2011 saw Assulin make his City Reserve squad debut against Newcastle, coming on as a second half substitute. City went on to win the game 5–1, with John Guidetti
netting a hat-trick.
but was too old to play in the inaugural under-19 NextGen series
with the City Elite Development Squad. This meant that Assulin was restricted to playing occasionally for the Reserves. Assulin said: "I need confidence and I can only get that by playing regularly. City and I both feel that I should go out on loan so I can play every week. I could stay in England or maybe join a team in the Spanish second division".
On November 23 2011, Championship
side Barnsley announced that they had agreed a loan deal with Manchester City, enabling Assulin to play for the Reds until January 3 2012.
Barnsley manager Keith Hill
said: "I’ve always known about Gai and was very impressed when he played for the Israel Under-21s against England at Oakwell in September. He’s a little bit different to what we have already got and can unlock doors. He’s had a great up-bringing at Barcelona and Manchester City and is a talented football player who now wants to develop the next stage of his career".
Assulin can unlock doors, he’s a creative player and a great addition to our squad. He’s a very clever player and has a very good football brain. He’s quick, but his pace is in his brain".
However, just as the loan deal looked to have been sealed, it was prevented due to injury and fitness concerns, with Hill saying: "On advice from the medical staff at Man City, it's just a deal that we can't do. Common sense has prevailed. It's something we wanted to do, but we're not going to force through a signing when the player's not hundred percent fit.
I’m disappointed because I know what type of player he is. If the deal can be done in January [2012] it will be".
for their friendly match against Chile
in 2008. He debuted for Israel
as a substitute in the 78th minute of the friendly, 14 days before his 17th birthday. By playing in this match, he broke Ben Sahar
's record for youngest national team debut by 195 days. He currently represents the Israeli under-21 national team in preparation for Israel
hosting the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
- the first major football tournament that Israel has ever hosted.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i professional footballer who plays for Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
and the Israel national under-21 football team
Israel national under-21 football team
Israel's national Under-21 team , also known as Israel Under-21s or Israel U-21s, is considered to be the feeder team for the Israel national football team...
, mainly as a winger or attacking midfielder. Assulin has however been capped once by 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...
and currently holds the record as the youngest player to ever represent Israel in an international match at senior level.
Early life
Born in NahariyaNahariya
Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.-History:Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s...
, Assulin started his career in the football school of Hapoel Haifa. In 1999 at the age of seven, Assulin moved to the Beitar Tubruk youth ranks. In 2003, when he was just 12, Shlomo Scharf
Shlomo Scharf
Shlomo Scharf , is an Israeli football manager and a regular commentator on Israeli Sport 5 TV channel. Scharf managed Maccabi Haifa to three championships, and was Israel national football team manager from 1992 to 1999.-Managerial career:...
, his team coach, proposed to Assulin's parents to consider taking their young prospect to try out for FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
's youth ranks. They did, and he was accepted.
2007–08 season
In August 2007, Assulin graduated to the FC Barcelona BFC Barcelona B
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their...
team, and was offered a new contract, a senior contract (a contract granted only after the player turns 16) for another three years and a €20M buy-out clause. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Barcelona B won the league title with 83 points, just one ahead of Sant Andreu
UE Sant Andreu
Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu is a Spanish football team based in the city of Barcelona, in the district of Sant Andreu, Catalonia. Founded in 1925, it plays in Segunda División B - Group 3, holding home matches at Camp Municipal Narcís Sala, with an all-seated capacity of 6,900.-Club background:*Club...
. The manager, Josep Guardiola
Josep Guardiola
Josep "Pep" Guardiola i Sala , is a Spanish football manager and former player. Guardiola played as a defensive midfielder and spent the majority of his playing career with FC Barcelona, whom he currently manages. He was part of Johan Cruyff's dream team that won Barcelona's first European Cup....
, was promoted to the job of senior team manager. Gai Assulin was rumored to be one of the players that Guardiola would promote to the first team.
2009–10 season
After missing most of the 2008–09 season with FC Barcelona BFC Barcelona B
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their...
due to an injury, Assulin got an invitation to participate in pre-season matches with Barcelona first team. Assulin appeared in three of Barcelona's six pre-season fixtures; against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly Sports Club , commonly known as simply Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian sporting club. Founded in April 1907, Al-Ahly was named in 2000 by the Confederation of African Football as the "African Club of the Century"...
and Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. He made his debut first-team start in a competitive match of the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
against Cultural Leonesa
Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa
Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in León, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded in 1923, it currently plays in Tercera División – Group 8, holding home games at Estadio Reino de León, with a capacity of 13,451 seats.-Season to season:----*1...
on 28 October 2009, before being replaced by Éric Abidal
Éric Abidal
Éric Sylvain Abidal is a French footballer who plays as a left or central defender for FC Barcelona and the France national team.-Club career:...
after 56 minutes. Due to the lengthy 2009–10 season many Barcelona players were given breaks towards the end of the year. This meant that the first team were going to be a few men short, so on 29 December 2009, four Barça B players were called up by Barcelona's first team by coach Josep Guardiola. Among these four were Assulin, and team-mates Víctor Vázquez
Victor Vázquez
Víctor Vázquez is a photographer and a contemporary conceptual artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Víctor Vázquez has been working as an artist for more than 20 years, creating photographs, three-dimensional objects, videos and installation works in which the human body figures both conceptually...
, Thiago Alcântara
Thiago Alcántara
Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento is a Spanish football player. He currently plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.-Early years:...
, and Jonathan dos Santos
Jonathan dos Santos
Jonathan dos Santos Ramírez is a Mexican football who plays as a central or defensive midfielder for FC Barcelona B. He has also been called up to the Mexican national team.-Early life:...
.
On 1 July 2010, Assulin and Barcelona announced that by mutual consent Assulin's contract would not be renewed and he became a free agent. Barcelona offered him a three-year contract but as they could not offer him a guaranteed first-team squad position and instead sought to develop him at Barcelona B, he refused the offer. Assulin also had a complicated relationship with the then manager of Barcelona B, Luis Enrique
Luís Enrique Martínez García
Luis Enrique Martínez García , known as Luis Enrique, is a retired Spanish footballer, and the current head coach of Serie A club A.S. Roma...
.
Assulin's agent, Pini Zahavi
Pini Zahavi
Pinhas "Pini" Zahavi is a football agent who has been involved in some of the most expensive and controversial transfer episodes of recent times....
, said: “The decision not to renew Gai’s contract was mutually taken by us and the club. At the moment we are considering his professional options.”
2010–11 season
On 8 October 2010, it was reported Assulin had inked a deal to join Premier League side Manchester City, though his contract was only a trial. For the following several months, Assulin was in and out of the City training ground as the club attempted to agree compensation with Barcelona, who were legally entitled to a development fee for raising him in their academy. His signature for City was further complicated by a repetitive injury which rendered him unable to complete his medical and therefore legally incapable of signing a contract with Manchester City. During this period, however, he did play in the Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
Academy team against Young Ajax, in a match slated as a test run for a future youth 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...
.
Assulin finally signed a contract with City on 13 December 2010.
The early part of 2011 saw Assulin make his City Reserve squad debut against Newcastle, coming on as a second half substitute. City went on to win the game 5–1, with John Guidetti
John Guidetti
John Alberto Guidetti is a Swedish footballer, who currently plays for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, on loan from Manchester City.-Brommapojkarna:...
netting a hat-trick.
2011–12 season
On November 17 2011, Assulin declared that he was prepared to be loaned out from Manchester City in order to receive first-team action. He had so far failed to receive a call-up from first-team manager Roberto ManciniRoberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
but was too old to play in the inaugural under-19 NextGen series
NextGen series
The NextGen Series is a European football club cup competition for under-19 footballers. It is similar in form to the UEFA Champions League and will provide a competition for youth players an opportunity to play other young European footballers....
with the City Elite Development Squad. This meant that Assulin was restricted to playing occasionally for the Reserves. Assulin said: "I need confidence and I can only get that by playing regularly. City and I both feel that I should go out on loan so I can play every week. I could stay in England or maybe join a team in the Spanish second division".
On November 23 2011, Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side Barnsley announced that they had agreed a loan deal with Manchester City, enabling Assulin to play for the Reds until January 3 2012.
Barnsley manager Keith Hill
Keith Hill (footballer)
Keith John Hill is an English former footballer, currently manager of Barnsley. As a player, Hill was a central defender...
said: "I’ve always known about Gai and was very impressed when he played for the Israel Under-21s against England at Oakwell in September. He’s a little bit different to what we have already got and can unlock doors. He’s had a great up-bringing at Barcelona and Manchester City and is a talented football player who now wants to develop the next stage of his career".
Assulin can unlock doors, he’s a creative player and a great addition to our squad. He’s a very clever player and has a very good football brain. He’s quick, but his pace is in his brain".
However, just as the loan deal looked to have been sealed, it was prevented due to injury and fitness concerns, with Hill saying: "On advice from the medical staff at Man City, it's just a deal that we can't do. Common sense has prevailed. It's something we wanted to do, but we're not going to force through a signing when the player's not hundred percent fit.
I’m disappointed because I know what type of player he is. If the deal can be done in January [2012] it will be".
International career
Gai was called up by the Israeli national football teamIsrael 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...
for their friendly match against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
in 2008. He debuted for Israel
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...
as a substitute in the 78th minute of the friendly, 14 days before his 17th birthday. By playing in this match, he broke Ben Sahar
Ben Sahar
Ben Sahar is an Israeli football striker who currently plays for Ligue 1 side Auxerre on loan from Espanyol.At just 16, Sahar was already the equivalent of a second-year apprentice at Chelsea. He first caught Chelsea's eye in an Under-16 fixture against Ireland in 2004 and has since played for the...
's record for youngest national team debut by 195 days. He currently represents the Israeli under-21 national team in preparation for Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
hosting the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2013 UEFA U-21 Championship will be the 19th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament will be hosted by Israel between the 15–28 June 2013...
- the first major football tournament that Israel has ever hosted.
Club statistics
As of 20 June 2010| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona B FC Barcelona B Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their... |
2007–08 | 22 | 10 | – | – | 22 | 10 | ||
| 2008–09 | 20 | 1 | – | – | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2009–10 2009–10 Segunda División B The 2009–10 Segunda División B season was the 79th since its establishment. The first matches of the season were played on 29 August 2009, and the season ended on 20 June 2010 with the promotion play-off finals.- Group 1:... |
25 | 2 | – | – | 25 | 2 | |||
| Total | 67 | 13 | |– | 67 | 13 | ||||
| Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
2009–10 FC Barcelona season 2009–10 In 2009–10, Futbol Club Barcelona started the new season with the prospect of winning six major competitions in the 2009–2010 season. They contested for the Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, Copa del Rey, La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League... |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894... |
2010–11 2010–11 Manchester City F.C. season The 2010–11 season is Manchester City Football Clubs 109th season of football, its ninth consecutive season in the Premier League, and its fourteenth season in the Premier League since it was first created with Manchester City as one of the its original 22 founding member clubs... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 67 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 13 | |
See also
- List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players