(Main photo: Alan Schieber)
Even at the start of its faltering season, there is something Maccabi Tel Aviv can count on: Yonatan Cohen’s numbers. Bitton in the team with three) and also surpasses in money time.Only in the last two games he has signed four points: a winning goal against Hapoel Haifa and an equalizer against Maccabi Netanya, both in the final minutes.
This is Cohen’s third season at the Yellow Club after returning from a loan spell at Bnei Yehuda and each season he has improved. It started with 11 goals and 8 assists in all competitions in 18/19, continued with a double double last season (13 and 12, 10 and 10 in the league) and the season is, as mentioned, already with 10 goals and three assists in all competitions.
And if there’s anything that makes teams in Europe look away, it’s numbers, and at 24 Cohen feels due to move on. Already last summer he aroused interest in several leagues (Russia, Ukraine, France and Turkey), but the fact that there is no exit clause in his contract, valid for another two and a half years, made the move difficult. The offers flowed, but they were lower than the 4 million euros that Maccabi Tel Aviv demanded for him.
In any case, Cohen continues to work in the hope that he will soon be able to prove that he is also issuing the same numbers in Europe. His associates say that he is a professional who never stops working and getting better. He has a close analyst who analyzes all his games and also “gives in the head” when needed. One of the people closest to him says: “He has a tremendous drive for success. He works like crazy and takes on more and more on the field. He is not a leader who does motivational meetings and talks a lot, he is quite quiet and focused on himself and the team’s success. And get closer to his ambition to go to Europe. “
Cohen did not always lick honey at Maccabi Tel Aviv. In his first season after being loaned out to Bnei Yehuda, he went through a process of growing up at the club. Did not break and every time they would talk to him, he would say: “This time I will not leave. Even if I sit outside for months, I will play for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Indeed, after a not-so-easy season opener, he began to fit in, and very quickly became a major part of the roster. After finishing the regular season with two goals and two assists, he exploded in the playoffs with four goals and six assists, and from there it was already difficult to get him out of the lineup. “His determination gives everyone a drive,” says a player on the team, “he never gives up or takes his foot off the gas, and it’s no coincidence he’s scored crucial goals in the last two years. He’s always there, working like crazy and never stopping.”
Under Donis, Cohen is considered the biggest banker along with Peshich, and despite the tight schedule, he does not get a rest. By the way, he himself wants to play in all the games, and even when the coach turns, the answer is the same: “I want to be on the field.” Approaching, and again offers are expected to arrive, but both Cohen and Maccabi Tel Aviv understand that his departure will constitute a final waiver of the championship title. Player on the team: “He is currently our X Factor. His dominance is growing. Giving him up in January cannot do Maccabi Tel Aviv any good, it is clear to everyone.”
