Yaniv Katan (; born 27 January 1981) is an Israeli retired international footballer who played professionally for Maccabi Haifa, as a forward and winger. He earned 31 caps for Israel, scoring five goals.
Personal life Katan was born in Kiryat Ata, Israel, and is Jewish.Katan, Yaniv: Jews In Sports
Club career In December 2005, Katan signed a four-year contract with West Ham United, where he joined up with Israeli international teammate Yossi Benayoun. The transfer, which was officially completed during the January 2006 transfer window, involved a cut-price fee of £100,000, as Katan had only six months left on his Maccabi contract. He made eight appearances, including six from the bench, for West Ham.
At the end of the 2005–06 season, Katan moved back to Maccabi Haifa in a loan deal, with a view to a permanent move, after Alan Pardew reportedly told him he was no longer in his plans. "And [Katan] told newspaper Ha'aretz: 'I am a West Ham player at the moment, and I have a contract with the club for another three seasons, but the manager has told me that I do not figure in his plans. 'So unless something changes and I am told that I can fight for a place on the team, I am finished with West Ham." He returned to Israel and made his loan deal permanent by signing a new four-year deal with Haifa.
After 25 years in Maccabi Haifa, on 19 June 2014, Katan decided to retire from active playing. On 5 April 2015, a farewell ceremony for Katan was held at the Sammy Ofer Stadium on which both Maccabi Haifa's chairman Ya'akov Shahar and Katan led a speech and the fans held a giant flag with Katan's pictures.
Career statistics Club
ClubSeasonLeagueIsraeli CupContinentalLeague cupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMaccabi Haifa1998–992611040223241999–003430000003432000–013654141003972001–022254010303052002–033264112311459142003–0428722624040112004–053282030314092005–06155--2010185Total2254117432624729758West Ham United2005–068000——80Total8000000080Maccabi Haifa2006–0727731121304492007–0831521--613972008–0931654--4040102009–103471092104592010–112743020113352011–1231632720041102012–1332430--313852013–142601081--351Total2393921837618331556 Career total47279381170124210620114
Honours Maccabi Haifa Israeli Championships Winner (6): 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2010–11 Runner-up (5): 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2009–10, 2012–13 Toto Cup Winner (3): 2002–03, 2005–06, 2007–08 State Cup Runner-up (4): 2002, 2009, 2011, 2012
West Ham United FA Cup Runner-up (1): 2006
See also List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players
References
External links
Yaniv Katan profile and stats on FootballDatabase.com Yaniv Katan profile and club history on Maccabi Haifa Official Website Yaniv Katan Profile and Statistics on One.co.il After 25 years in Maccabi Haifa, On 19 June 2014, Katan decided to retire from active playing.