Udi, Kfir

Udi conquered a horrifying injury and claimed his place as the starting forward of the Israeli national team.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Aug. 28, 1979

Career Highlights:
A 'Red' from birth, Udi took his first steps with the Hapoel Tel Aviv youth team before breaking into the first team and the Israeli Olympic team in 1997-98. That year, Udi made occasional appearances off the Hapoel bench, and scored three goals in the Israel League. His team came very close to winning the title, but lost on the final day. The following season, Udi filled the same role and scored two goals as Hapoel won the State Cup.

1999-2000 was Udi's breakout season. Along with fellow home grown stars Shimon Gershon and Pini Balili, Udi was instrumental in the Red's capture of the league and Cup "double." He scored six goals during the year, and showed mastery of many aspects of the game. That year, Kfir was called up to the Israeli National team. In his first game against Georgia, the forward scored a magnificent goal, but later in the game broke both his arm and his leg in a brutal challenge. It would be a long time before Udi found his form again.

Udi resumed training at Hapoel in the 2000-01 season, but broke his leg again in a training session. He made his first tentative appearances in 2001-02, scoring one league goal. National coach Avraham Grant believed in Udi's talent and repeatedly called him up. Udi plays his best in the national colors.

Kfir had trouble shaking off his injury in the 2002-03 campaign and was used primarily as a sub. He started only 3 times and scored 4 goals. Hapoel finished third, as the team missed his offensive contribution dearly.

Hapoel released Udi to save money. In the 2003-04 season played for B'nei Yehuda. Udi scored 7 goals for the Tel Aviv team and helped them to a surprisingly high sixth place finish. The striker was purchased by a strong Maccabi Petah Tikva team, at the start of the 2004-05 season.

Origin:
Tel Aviv, Israel

Position:
Forward

Career Statistics:
7 caps/ 3 goals

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