Kakkon, Motti "the vulture"

Kakkon, a striker, is known as "the vulture" for his fierce predatory style in the box. Despite his consistent goal scoring he has only managed two Israeli international appearances.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Nov. 16, 1972

Career Highlights:
In an age of endless transfers, Kakkon has remained loyal to Hapoel Petah Tikva throughout his Israeli career. He came up with club when Avraham Grant ruled the organization. As a rookie, Kakkon helped Hapoel win the State Cup in 1991-92. The following season, Kakkon scored his first goal in European competition. Hapoel was knocked out by the Dutch side Feyenoord on away goals, but Motti scored in the second leg. Without Grant at the helm in Israel League play, however, the White and Blues suffered a terrible season and only a playoff win against Maccabi Jaffa kept them from relegation.

In 1993-94, Kakkon netted 21 goals in the league as Hapoel finished seventh. The following year, however, Kakkon was injured for much of the season and only managed five goals. In 1996-97, Kakkon came as close as he ever would to helping his team win a league championship. Hapoel Petah Tikva's midfield was built around Eli Abarbanel and Manor Hasan while Kakkon was razor sharp. He scored 20 league goals and was the league's leading scorer. Hapoel pushed Betar Jerusalem all the way, but fell late in the campaign.

In 1997-98, Kakkon got another shot at European action in the UEFA Cup. He scored against Estonian side Flora Tallin in the first round, and then scored a penalty against Rapid Vienna in the third round, though Hapoel were knocked out. He also scored 12 league goals and Petah Tikva had a decent season, although they narrowly missed European qualification. Kakkon was dominant in 1998-99, and came within one goal of leading the league scorers with a 20-goal total. He attracted the attention of several Spanish clubs and eventually signed with Second Division Merida along with countryman Idan Tal. However the move was a flop and by the end of the 1999-2000 season, Kakkon was back with Petah Tikva. He managed seven Israeli league goals in a handful of appearances.

The 2000-01 season was another poor year for his teammates, but a great one for Motti. He scored 19 goals, second to Avi Nimni and, as usual, was far and away the best player on the team. Despite his excellence, he was often substituted for no apparent reason and could have scored more. During the 2001-02 season, Motti scored ten goals for a truly unspectacular side.

2002-03 was a terrible year for the veteran. Motti started only 7 times and scored a career low of 1 goal.

Hapoel Petah Tikva released Motti after his miserable season and he signed for second division Hakoah Ramat-Gan.

Origin:
Israel

Position:
Striker

Career Statistics:
131 goals in 277 games. (12th place of all time).

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