Hanukkah Soccer Legends: Night 3 – Dudu Aouate | OneFootball

With nearly 20 years of professional soccer experience, goalkeeper David “Dudu” Aouate is perhaps the most famous modern Israelis in his position. He was renowned for remarkable reflex saves, a solid command of the box, and consistent performances.

His career began in 1994 in a most typical goalkeeper manner: as a backup.He spent nearly four years working in understudy roles at a number of Israeli clubs. At Maccabi Haifa he learned under the equally legendary Nir Davidovich. His breakthrough came when he landed a spot with Haifa’s rival club Hapoel. Their starting goalkeeper suffered a severe injury, and Aouate did not waste the opportunity. Hapoel would go on to win their first and only Israeli PL championship in that 1998-99 season, partially on the shoulders of Aouate’s clutch performances.

He won a second PL title with Maccabi Haifa in 2001-02, and also played with them in their Champions League campaign. Maccabi Haifa were the first Israeli team to ever make it into the competition, and the attracted the world’s attention by defeating Manchester United in group play.

That continental exposure earned him a transfer to Racing de Santander in the Spanish La Liga. He would play the next eleven seasons in Spain, moving to Deportivo de Coruña and finishing his career at Mallorca.

He recorded 182 clean sheets across 544 games in all professional competitions. His national team duty with Israel lasted 15 years, during which time he earned 105 caps and recorded 23 clean sheets.

About This Article Series

Hanukkah, the festival of lights, is celebrated over eight days and nights by followers of Judaism across the world. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the success of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE.

The holiday’s close proximity to Christmas has made it a mainstay within the United States and other western regions, even though its religious importance is somewhat minor. In observance of Hanukkah, Hooligan Soccer will present eight shining soccer players associated with the Jewish faith.

Night 1: Benny FeilhaberNight 2: Eran Zahavi