Eyal Berkovich
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eyal Berkovic | ||
| Date of birth | 2 April 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Regba, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1988 | Maccabi Haifa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1996 | Maccabi Haifa | 128 | (25) |
| 1996–1997 | → Southampton (loan) | 28 | (4) |
| 1997–1999 | West Ham United | 65 | (10) |
| 1999–2001 | Celtic | 32 | (9) |
| 2001 | → Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 2001–2004 | Manchester City | 56 | (7) |
| 2004–2005 | Portsmouth | 22 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 25 | (2) |
| Total | 367 | (61) | |
| National team | |||
| 1990 | Israel U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 1991–1993 | Israel U21 | 11 | (1) |
| 1992–2004 | Israel | 78 | (9) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2014–2015 | Hapoel Tel Aviv (general manager) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Eyal Berkovic (Hebrew: אייל ברקוביץ', sometimes Berkovich; born 2 April 1972 in Regba) is an Israeli former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He made 78 appearances for Israel, and is considered one of the nation's greatest ever players.
Graeme Souness described Berkovic as "a tremendous passer. In the last third of the field, he is the best that I've ever worked with." Berkovic was also noted for various several clashes with managers and players, most notably Kevin Keegan (his manager at Manchester City), and Welsh striker John Hartson.
He is the older brother of former footballer Nir Berkovic.
Berkovic started his career at Maccabi Haifa in 1989, playing there until 1996. During his time with the club he won league titles in 1990–91 and 1993–94, and the State Cup three times, including a 'double' in the 1990–91 season. His performances for the club earned him a call-up to the Israeli national team as well as the Most Valuable Player award for the 1993–94 season.
For the 1996–97 season, Berkovic signed on a season-long loan for English club Southampton. He proved to be a big influence, and was a major part of the famous 6–3 victory in 1996 over Manchester United, as he scored twice and got three assists.
The next season, he was signed by manager Harry Redknapp for West Ham United for £1.75 million, for whom he played for two seasons. Well liked by West Ham fans, he became an instant fans' hero by scoring the decisive goal against Tottenham Hotspur in a 2–1 win on his Upton Park debut on 13 August 1997. He played in 79 games in all competitions scoring 12 goals.
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