Nir Bitton (or Biton, ; born 30 October 1991) is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder. Early and personal life Bitton was born and raised in Ashdod, Israel, to a family of both Sephardi Jewish and Mizrahi Jewish descent. He was enlisted and served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.
He married his Israeli girlfriend Bar (née Shimon) in 2014: the couple have two children, Emma and Tom.
Club career SC Ashdod Bitton broke into the senior team of his home-town club SC Ashdod at the age of 17 in an Israeli Premier League match on 25 April 2009, and went on to make over 120 appearances.
Celtic On 30 August 2013, Bitton signed a four-year deal with Scottish Premiership club Celtic, for a fee of around £700,000 and a 20% sell-on clause from Israeli Premier League club SC Ashdod.
He made his debut for the club on 18 September, in a Champions League group stage match against AC Milan, coming into the game as a late substitute in the 89th minute. Three weeks later he made another Champions League appearance for Celtic, coming as a 77th-minute substitute against Ajax on 22 October, but was sent off eleven minutes later for a late tackle on Thulani Serero. The resulting suspension and a few niggling injuries hindered Bitton's efforts to establish himself in the team, but he still managed to make a total of 20 appearances for Celtic by the end of his first season there. Celtic won their third successive league title, and Bitton's 15 league appearances saw him pick up his first major honour.
In the 2014–15 season, Bitton scored in Celtic's first league match of the season from the penalty spot after a controversial red card for St Johnstone defender Dave Mackay. Celtic winger Derk Boerrigter was later given a 3-match ban for simulation. Later in the season, Bitton scored a stunning 30-yard goal against Dundee in a 5–0 win. He scored another long-distance strike on 12 August 2015, netting from 25 yards into the top corner in a 2–2 draw with Kilmarnock.
To begin the 2015–16 season, on 19 August 2015, Bitton scored against Swedish side Malmö FF in a 3–2 win at Celtic Park in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. On 2 November 2015, Bitton was signed a new contract which would keep him at Celtic until the summer of 2020, and again on 16 December 2019 he extended his contract up to 2023.
On 13 May 2022, Celtic announced that Bitton and teammate Tom Rogic would both be leaving the club after the final game of the season against Motherwell. Bitton said: "When I came to Celtic I never thought I would be part of such exciting times and it truly has been amazing to be part of such a great club. I have worked with some great managers and team-mates and I thank them all for those times and all we achieved together." On his 245th and final game for Celtic, Bitton came on as a substitute for club captain Callum McGregor in the 85th minute, as Celtic ran out 6–0 winners. Rogic and Bitton brought out the Scottish Premiership trophy together, which McGregor then lifted aloft with his departing teammates standing on either side.
Across his career with Celtic, Bitton also occasionally captained the club, winning 18 domestic trophies.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
On 1 July 2022, Bitton returned to Israel and joined Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract with an option for a third year.
International career
In 2009, Bitton represented his native Israel at the 2009 Maccabiah Games, and the team won a bronze medal. He played for the only Israel U-21 team to qualify for the UEFA European U21 Championship in 2013.
He made his senior debut for Israel in a friendly match against Uruguay on 26 May 2010. Bitton played a major role in qualifying games for the 2016 UEFA Euro Tournament. He scored his first goal for the national team against Andorra in a 4–0 victory On 3 September 2015. Ever since 23 March 2016, Bitton is being used as a second or a third Captain for the senior Israel national team. Bitton debuted as the first Captain of the senior national team, in a 3–2 home win for Israel against Faroe Islands on 15 November 2021 (even after Eitan Tibi, Israel's vice-captain, was substituted in), at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAshdod2008–09Israeli Premier League100000–102009–10Israeli Premier League2010000–2012010–11Israeli Premier League3450000–3452011–12Israeli Premier League3640000–3642012–13Israeli Premier League3140010–3242013–14Israeli Premier League100000–10Total123140010–12414Celtic2013–14Scottish Premiership1501010302002014–15Scottish Premiership3125020504322015–16Scottish Premiership30530201134682016–17Scottish Premiership2613020813922017–18Scottish Premiership1401020602302018–19Scottish Premiership703000001002019–20Scottish Premiership15030201103102020–21Scottish Premiership1310010602112021–22Scottish Premiership220001050120Total158919013055424513Maccabi Tel Aviv2022–23Israeli Premier League2112000502812023–24Israeli Premier League900000901802024–25Israeli Premier League1000002030Total3112000160491Ashdod2024–25Israeli Premier League1600000–160Career total3282421014071443428
International Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bitton goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Nir BittonNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 3 September 2015 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel 2–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification2 10 October 2015 Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem, Israel 1–1 1–2 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification3 12 November 2021 Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria 1–0 2–4 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Celtic Scottish Premiership (8): 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22 Scottish Cup (4): 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20Celtic win fourth straight Scottish Cup as Hazard's shootout saves break Hearts, Ewan Murray, The Guardian, 20 December 2020 Scottish League Cup (6): 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22
Maccabi Tel Aviv Israeli Premier League: 2023–24 Israel Super Cup: 2024
See also List of Jewish footballers List of Jews in sports List of Israelis Liel Abada
References
External links