Shon Zalman Weissman (or Sean, ; born 14 February 1996) is an Israeli professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for club

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

and the Israel national team. An academy graduate of Israeli side

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa () is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football, Basketball, Weightl ...

, Weissman made his senior debut for the club in 2014 before spending three seasons on

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

with Israeli clubs Hapoel Acre,

Maccabi Netanya Maccabi Netanya F.C. () is an Israeli professional football club based in Netanya. Established in 1934, the club was a founding member of the Israeli League in 1949. After winning their first championship in 1971, the club's golden period last ...

, and

Ironi Kiryat Shmona Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona Football Club () known as Ironi Kiryat Shmona is a professional football club based in Kiryat Shmona, in the northern district of Israel. The club is a current member of the Israeli Premier League, and plays at the Iro ...

. In Maccabi Netanya, he enjoyed a particularly successful campaign which culminated in the club reaching promotion to the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

. In the 2019–20 season, while playing with Austrian side

Wolfsberger AC Wolfsberger AC, commonly referred to as Wolfsberg or simply WAC, is an Austrian association football club from Wolfsberg, Carinthia, who currently play in the Austrian Bundesliga. Between the 2007–08 and 2011–12 seasons, Wolfsberger AC enter ...

, he became the club's first goalscorer in a European competition and was the Austrian Bundesliga's top scorer that season with 30 goals out of 31 matches. Formerly an Israel youth international, Weissman represented the nation from under-17 level. He made his senior international debut in September 2019.

Early life and personal life

Weissman was born and raised in the neighbourhood of

Kiryat Haim Kiryat Haim ( ) is a neighborhood of Haifa. It is considered part of the Krayot cluster in the northern part of metropolitan Haifa. In 2008, Kiryat Haim had a population of just under 27,000. Kiryat Haim is within the municipal borders of ...

of the city of

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

, Israel, to an Israeli family of

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

and

Sephardi Jewish Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

descent. His parents divorced when he was 13, and he lived with his mother Varda and his younger brother Shoval. His grandmother is a

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

survivor. Weissman is observant and does not play football on the Jewish high holiday of

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

. He was enlisted and has served in the

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

to complete his

mandatory military service Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

. At the end of 2023 his opinions on the invasion of Gaza sparked vast outrage in Spain. He also holds Portuguese passport, on account of his Sephardi Jewish ancestors, which eases the move to certain European football leagues. On 22 May 2019, he married his Israeli girlfriend Eden ( Markovich), his highschool sweetheart. Their first daughter Alma Leah Weissman was born in August 2020.

Club career

Maccabi Haifa

Weissman started his career with Israeli hometown club,

. On 20 January 2014, 17-year-old Weissman made his senior debut in the

match against

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club (, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli professional association football, football club from the city of Beersheba, Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The club was estab ...

. He came off the bench in the 79th minute, replacing Ran Abukarat. He ended the season with 10 league appearances, while only appearing in two games in the following season.

2015–18: Loan spells

On 19 August 2015, Weissman signed for fellow Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Acre on a season-long loan from Maccabi Haifa. After scoring no goals in 18 appearances, the loan deal was cancelled in January 2016. For the 2016–17 season, Weissman was sent on a season-long loan again, this time to

second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

club

. He managed to score 12 goals in 21 league appearances, helping Maccabi Netanya achieve promotion to the Israeli Premier League as they were crowned champions at the end of the season. In the following season, Weissman made one appearance for Maccabi Haifa before being sent out on loan once again in August 2017, this time to fellow Premier League side

. In September 2017, in a league match against

F.C. Ashdod Moadon Sport Ashdod (, ''Sport Club Ashdod''), commonly referred to as F.C Ashdod (, ''Mem Samekh Ashdod''), is an Israeli professional football club, playing in the port city of Ashdod. The unusual name of the team (unlike most Israeli foot ...

, Weissman scored his first goal on the highest level of Israeli football in a 2–0 win for Ironi Kiryat Shmona. He made 26 league appearances for the club, scoring three times.

2018–19: Return to Maccabi Haifa

Following the expiration of his loan, Weissman returned to Maccabi Haifa. He made his first appearance in the season as a substitute in the league match against

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

on 26 August, receiving a yellow card shortly after in a 0–2 loss. A few days later, on 1 September, Weissman scored his first Maccabi Haifa goal when he netted in a 2–0 home win over

. He ended the season with eight goals in 25 league appearances.

Wolfsberger AC

On 20 June 2019, Weissman joined

Austrian Football Bundesliga The Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...

club

, signing a two-year contract and being handed shirt No. 9. On 17 August, in the fourth round of the league, he scored four goals in a 5–0 home victory over

SV Mattersburg SV Mattersburg was an Austrian association football club from Mattersburg, Burgenland. History The club was formed in 1922 and played its home games at the 17,100 capacity Pappelstadion. The club played in the Bundesliga The Bunde ...

. Before the match, he had scored in three consecutive league appearances for the

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

n club. On 19 September 2019, Weissman scored the first goal in a 4–0 win over German club

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...

in the Europa League group stage, Wolfsberger AC's first European goal ever. He finished the 2019–20 season with 30 league goals which made him the Austrian Bundesliga's top scorer.

Valladolid

On 31 August 2020, Weissman signed with Spanish

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

Real Valladolid Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid (), is a Spanish professional List of football clubs in Spain, football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León that will compete from the 2025–26 season in the . The club ...

until 2024. He became the most expensive signing in Real Valladolid's history at €4 million. He scored his first goals in his ninth game for Valladolid, a 3–2 home win over

CA Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. The team's ...

. After his first season ended in relegation, Weissman remained playing for Valladolid in the

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

. On 29 August 2021, he scored in a 2–0 win at

CD Lugo Club Deportivo Lugo is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football team based in Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. Founded on 8 July 1953, it plays in Primera Federación, holding home games at ''Estadio Anxo ...

before receiving a straight red card in the 38th minute. Over September and October, he netted in four successive games to go top of the goalscoring charts. After one single season, his club Valladolid has managed to return to the top Spanish football division, the (2022–23) La Liga. On 5 September 2022, having recovered from a pre-season injury, he made his season debut in the

2022–23 La Liga The 2022–23 La Liga, also known as La Liga Santander due to sponsorship reasons, was the 92nd season of La Liga, Spain's premier football competition. It commenced on 12 August 2022 and concluded on 4 June 2023. Real Madrid were the defending ch ...

during its fourth game week, coming on as a second half substitute for Real Valladolid and then scoring the winning goal in the 93rd minute against UD Almeria, earning his team a last-minute 1–0 home victory.

Granada

On 31 January 2023, Weissman was loaned to

in the second Spanish division, until the end of the season, with an obligatory buyout clause of 3 million Euros in case of the club promotion back to the La Liga. On 5 February 2023, Weissman scored his first goal for Granada during his debut in the 4th minute of an away league match against Villarreal B that ended in a 2–0 victory. In June, after the club's promotion to the first division, he was bought outright. in October 2023 the player wrote on X (former twitter) “What is the logical reason why 200 tons of bombs have not already been dropped on

Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...

?" and was reported to the Spanish authorities in Granada for incitement and provocation to violence.

Loan to Salertinata

On 1 February 2024, Weismann moved to

Salernitana Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 is an Italian professional football club based in Salerno, Campania. The original club was founded in 1919 and has been reconstituted three times in the course of its history, most recently in 2011. The current ...

in Italy on loan.

International career

Weissman made his youth international level debut in 2011 for his native Israel. From 2017 to 2018, he was part of the Israel U21 national team. Weissman made his senior debut with the Israel national team on 9 September 2019, in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. He started the game and was substituted in the 61st minute. He scored his first goal for the national team on 4 September 2021 against

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers match, that ended in a 5–2 home win for Israel.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Weissman goal.''

Honours

Maccabi Netanya *

Liga Leumit The Israeli Liga Leumit (, HaLiga HaLeumit, ) is the second division of the professional Israeli association football (soccer) league system. This second-tier league is placed directly below the Israeli Premier League. Structure There are 16 ...

: 2016–17 Granada *

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Individual *

Austrian Bundesliga The Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...

Top goalscorer: 2019–20 *

Team of the Year: 2019–20 *

's Player of the Season: 2021–22

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weissman, Shon Living people 1996 births Jewish footballers Israeli men's footballers 21st-century Israeli sportsmen Footballers from Haifa Men's association football forwards Israel men's international footballers Israel men's under-21 international footballers Israel men's youth international footballers Israeli Premier League players Liga Leumit players Austrian Football Bundesliga players La Liga players Segunda División players Serie A players Maccabi Haifa F.C. players Hapoel Acre F.C. players Maccabi Netanya F.C. players Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C. players Wolfsberger AC players Real Valladolid players Granada CF footballers US Salernitana 1919 players Israeli expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Austria Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Austria Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Italy Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Israeli Sephardi Jews Portuguese people of Jewish descent Portuguese people of Israeli descent