Taleb Tawatha (or Twatha, ar, طالب طواطحه, he, טאלב טוואטחה; born ) is an
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i 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 ...
who plays as a
defender for
Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested ...
club
Bnei Sakhnin and the
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team ( he, נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל, ) represents Israel in international football, and is governed by the Israel Football Association (IFA).
Israel's national team is the direct successor of the ...
.
Tawatha started his career at
Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) 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 Footbal ...
, where he won
Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested ...
title in 2011 and the
Israel State Cup
The Israel State Cup ( he, גביע המדינה, ''Gvia HaMedina''), is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israel Football Association (IFA).
The State Cup was first held in 1928 as the People's Cup. Because it involve ...
in 2016. He became an integral part of the club's defence, making 204 appearances over the course of seven seasons. In July 2016, Tawatha signed for German club
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
of the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footbal ...
for a transfer fee of €1.5 million, and was part of the team that won the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
in 2018. In August 2019, he was released and two weeks later signed as a free agent with Bulgarian club
Ludogorets Razgrad.
A youth international for Israel from
under-16 to
under-21 level, Tawatha made his senior debut in 2011.
Early life
Tawatha was born in
Jisr az-Zarqa
Jisr az-Zarqa ( ar, جِسْر الزَّرْقَاء lit. ''The blue bridge'', he, גִ'סְר א-זַּרְקָא; often shortened as Jisr) is an Israeli Arab town on Israel's northern Mediterranean coastal plain. Located just north of Caesare ...
, Israel, to an
Arab-Muslim family of
Sudanese and
Bedouin descent.
He also holds
Sudanese citizenship.
Career
Maccabi Haifa
Tawatha trained in the youth teams of
Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) 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 Footbal ...
. In 2009 he made his debut appearance in the senior team. His break-through season was 2010/2011 in which he helped Maccabi Haifa to win the
Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested ...
championship, scored one goal and assisted five from his position as a left defender. Tawatha won the "Young Discovery Award" and was included in the MVP team of the season. In 2016 he won the
Israeli State Cup
The Israel State Cup ( he, גביע המדינה, ''Gvia HaMedina''), is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israel Football Association (IFA).
The State Cup was first held in 1928 as the People's Cup. Because it involv ...
with Maccabi Haifa.
Eintracht Frankfurt
In July 2016, Tawatha was signed by German club
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
for a transfer fee of 1.5 million Euros. On 19 May 2018, he won the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
with Eintracht Frankfurt after they defeated
Bayern Munich 3–1 in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
.
Ludogorets Razgrad
On 11 September 2019, Tawatha joined
Bulgarian First League
The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
side
Ludogorets Razgrad as a free agent.
Career statistics

:''(correct as of 1 June 2022)''
International goals
:''Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first.''
Honours
Maccabi Haifa
*
Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested ...
:
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
,
2020–21
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 ...
,
2021–22
*
Israel State Cup
The Israel State Cup ( he, גביע המדינה, ''Gvia HaMedina''), is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israel Football Association (IFA).
The State Cup was first held in 1928 as the People's Cup. Because it involve ...
:
2015–16
*
Toto Cup
The Israel Toto Cup ( he, גביע הטוטו, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League (Ligat ha'Al, Ligat Ha'Al), and the second division Liga ...
:
2021–22
*
Israel Super Cup
The Israel Super Cup, also known as the Champion of Champions ( he, אלוף האלופים, Aluf HaAlufim), is an Israeli association football club competition played as a single match between the winner of the latest Israeli top league champion ...
:
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
Eintracht Frankfurt
*
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
:
2017–18; runner-up:
2016–17
Ludogorets Razgrad
*
Bulgarian First League
The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...
:
2019–20
References
External links
Taleb Tawathaat Soccerway
Taleb Tawathaat Maccabi Haifa Profile
Taleb Tawathaat IFA National Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tawatha, Taleb
1992 births
Living people
Israeli men's footballers
Footballers from Haifa District
Arab-Israeli footballers
Arab citizens of Israel
Sudanese men's footballers
Bedouin Israelis
Israeli Muslims
Maccabi Haifa F.C. players
Eintracht Frankfurt players
PFC Ludogorets Razgrad players
Bnei Sakhnin F.C. players
Israeli Premier League players
Bundesliga players
First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players
Israel men's international footballers
Israeli expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
Expatriate men's footballers in Bulgaria
Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria
Israel men's youth international footballers
Israel men's under-21 international footballers
Israeli people of Sudanese descent
Men's association football defenders