Dia Saba
Dia Saba (sometimes Sabi'a or Seba,[1][2][3][4] Arabic: ضياء سبع, Hebrew: דיא סבע; born 18 November 1992), is an Arab-Israeli[5][6][7] footballer who plays for Chinese Super League club Guangzhou R&F.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 November 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Majd al-Krum, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Guangzhou R&F | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Beitar Nes Tubruk | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2012 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Hapoel Be'er Sheva (loan) | 30 | (3) |
| 2013 | Bnei Sakhnin | 11 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 29 | (3) |
| 2014–2018 | Maccabi Netanya | 100 | (44) |
| 2018–2019 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 16 | (5) |
| 2019– | Guangzhou R&F | 26 | (13) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011–2013 | Israel U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Israel U21 | 9 | (2) |
| 2018– | Israel | 10 | (3) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 December 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2018 | |||
Early life
Saba was born in Majd al-Krum, Israel, to a Muslim-Arab family.[5][6][7] His cousin is former footballer Ahmad Saba'a.[8][9][10]
Career
Saba began his career with the youth of Beitar Nes Tubruk. In the summer of 2011, Saba moved to Maccabi Tel Aviv as part of the "youth revolution" of then-coach [Motti Ivanir]. However, he made only two appearances over four months, and in January 2012 was subsequently loaned to Hapoel Be'er Sheva until the end of the season. On 21 January 2013, Saba made his debut for Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and scored twice in a 2–0 victory over Hapoel Haifa, helping the club to stay in the league. He was then again loaned for half the season. In January 2013 he moved to Bnei Sakhnin, playing 10 times and failing to score. Before the 2013/2014 season, Saba signed with Maccabi Petah Tikva. The following season he signed a two year contract with Maccabi Netanya. He played with Netanya for 4 seasons, scoring 50 goals in 111 appearances in all club competitions, including 24 league goals in the 2017/18 season.
On 17 September 2018 Saba returned to Be'er Sheva as Hapoel paid Maccabi Netanya a record transfer fee of €2,000,000.[11] Saba signed a 4 years contract with Be'er Sheva worth €1,600,000.[12] He made his debut at home against Bnei Yehuda, in a goalless game. Saba scored his 1st goal for Be'er Sheva on 6 October, in a 4–1 win over Maccabi Petah-Tikva.
In January 2019, he moved to Guangzhou R&F.[13]
Career statistics
Club statistics
As 31 December 2019.[14]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2011–12 | Israeli Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva (loan) | 2011–12 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 17 | 3 | ||
| 2012–13 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | 20 | 1 | |||
| Total | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 4 | ||
| Bnei Sakhnin | 2012–13 | Israeli Premier League | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 13 | 1 | |
| Maccabi Petah Tikva | 2013–14 | 29 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | - | 33 | 9 | ||
| Maccabi Netanya | 2014–15 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 31 | 3 | ||
| 2015–16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Liga Leumit | 32 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 35 | 17 | ||
| 2017–18 | Israeli Premier League | 34 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 26 | |
| 2018–19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| Total | 100 | 44 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 112 | 50 | ||
| Guangzhou R&F | 2019 | Chinese Super League | 26 | 13 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 26 | 13 | ||
| Total Career | 197 | 64 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 224 | 78 | ||
International goals
- Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first.[15]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 October 2018 | Turner Stadium, Beersheba, Israel |  | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C |
| 2. | 15 November 2018 | Netanya Stadium, Netanya, Israel |  | 5–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | 6–0 |
Honours
Maccabi Netanya
Individual
- Israel Football Players Organization's Player of the Season: 2017–18[16]
- Israeli Premier League Top Scorer: 2017–18 (24 goals)
References
- http://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/scotland-v-israel-uefa-nations-league-20-nov-2018-9988396cp
- http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=62898
- https://www.maccabi-tlv.co.il/en/2017/09/know-opponent-maccabi-netanya/
- http://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/teams/players/250033006--dia-seba/
- https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/arsenal-vs-cska-moscow-bibars-natcho-israel-captain-muslim-non-jewish-interview-a8288726.html
- https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018/02/26/report-minnesota-1-2-mls-teams-eyeing-israeli-league-star-dia-saba
- https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/give-football-a-chance-to-break-the-cycle-of-violence/
- "Dia Saba". footballtop.com. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
- "Dia Saba". footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
- "Dia Saba Player Profile". eurosport.com. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
- https://www.israelhayom.co.il/article/587665
- https://sports.walla.co.il/item/3187489
- "公告 | 以色列金靴萨巴加盟广州富力". Guangzhou R&F F.C. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- https://int.soccerway.com/players/dia-seba/195821/
- "Saba, Dia". National Football Teams. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
- "דיא סבע נבחר לשחקן העונה של ליגת העל". One (in Hebrew). Retrieved 13 January 2020.
External links
- Dia Saba at National-Football-Teams.com
- Dia Saba at Soccerway
- Dia Saba – Israel Football Association league player details