Israeli soccer talent joins German powerhouse Bayern München

Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz joined the German serial champion FC Bayern München, making him one of a select few Israeli soccer players to play for Germany, one of the world’s best and most famous teams.

Twenty-three-year-old Peretz left the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team for a reported fee of €5 million ($5.4 million) and signed a 5-year deal through June 2028, according to Israeli and German media reports.

“With Daniel Peretz, we are very well positioned with our goalie-team, for this season and the future,” said Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of the Munich-based team.

“In his young years, he not only proved his skills in national but also in international competitions,” he added.

Peretz captured the attention of the soccer world with his standout performance during the Israeli under-21 team’s sensational run to the semifinals in the European Championship last June and July.

Especially in Germany, Peretz attracted considerable attention when he stopped two penalties and was all-around impressive in the 1:1 draw against a heavily favored German team.

In November 2022, Peretz debuted for the senior Israeli national team.

Bayern München is a club with a lot of Jewish history, as it has always welcomed Jewish players. in 1932, its former Jewish president, Kurt Landauer, led the club to its first German championship

After the Nazis took power, Landauer was incarcerated in the Dachau concentration camp before fleeing the country.

Following the war, Landauer returned to Germany and was reelected club president, serving an additional four years.

Peretz is expected to be goalie No. 2, behind veteran Sven Ulreich for the moment, while the German national goalkeeper and Bayern’s No. 1 for the last decade-plus, Manuel Neuer, recovers from an injury.

"Daniel has the mentality and the ambition of an absolute top player. I can't say that he will immediately replace what I consider to be the best goalkeeper in history. But I am convinced that he can develop alongside him and compete with him,” Israeli reporter Raz Amir told the German newspaper Bild.

After Neuer’s return, Peretz will have the opportunity to learn from the two veterans and, if he proves himself, to take over as Bayern’s main goalkeeper once he retires.

“Neuer has always been Daniel's great role model,” Amir added. “I've been told that Daniel hasn't missed a single game of Bayern for many years. If he had to play at the same time, he is said to have recorded the Bayern game and watched it later to learn from Neuer's actions. The move is a dream come true for him.”

Peretz has recently gained media attention because of his new relationship with Israel’s biggest pop star, Noa Kirel, who recently secured third place at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest with her hit song Unicorn. Kirel was featured on our ALL ISRAEL NEWS list of top Israelis to watch in 2023.