Eran Zahavi

“I was a very impulsive, emotional kid.”

“I think people in China like to see R&F and how we play. I think it's a very important part of football that the fans enjoy coming to the game.”

“I realized I needed to take more responsibility, be more mature, not to lose the ball in precarious areas. In past I was apathetic, didn't think too much.”

“I can speak in cliches and say how much the Israel national team means to us, but we have to prove that on the pitch.”

“I want to say thank you to Maccabi's fans who welcomed me with a warmth and love from the first moment, which only grew over time.”

“When we are with the national team we are playing against much better players.”

“It doesn't matter who has possession, it matters who scores.”

“I don't owe the media anything.”

“I love the team and was always proud to represent Israel and do everything to bring accomplishments and give the fans something to root for.”

“At Maccabi, I played with a team that scored many goals and I was the dominant player, but that's not the case with Israel.”

“The derby is always the most important match of the year and it's always nice to score goals against the leaders and the best teams.”

“I wanted to make it with a big team like Hapoel.”

“People forgot how much pride I bring to Israel while playing in the Chinese league.”

“Sometimes I hear fans say that 'you should play for the emblem on the shirt.' I play for myself because after two inaccurate passes the fans are already cursing you.”

“Every time I score a goal against Hapoel the media makes a huge story out of it.”

“When I was five years old I would see Champions League games and I asked God to let me have a part in these games and to show my quality to the world and to be famous for football and to try my best.”

“Qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage was a big thing in Israel.”

“My biggest dream from the moment I started playing soccer was to join the national side. I was privileged to be part of the team and to serve as its captain and there's no greater honor.”

“I go out to every match to do my job and my teammates help me score and to be honest I score so much because they make it so easy for me.”

“I'm facing new challenges in China, the league here is developing and I try to help Chinese football develop here and around the world.”