Barak Yitzhaki

Barak Yitzhaki ( , also transliterated Itzhaki or Itzchaki ; born September 25, 1984 in Ashkelon ) is an Israeli footballer who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv .He mostly plays a Second striker , but can also play an Attacking midfielder .¹ Yitzhaki started his professional career with boyhood club, Hapoel Ashkelon . During his first two seasons as a professional, Yitzhaki won the Toto Cup Artzit twice. He was sold to Beitar Jerusalem and saw limited time under manager Eli Ohana . With the arrival of French manager Luis Fernández in 2005, Yitzhaki received more playing time and was even a first team choice over the club's leading scorer, Lior Asulin. After watching Yitzhaki play, Fernández told the club to sign Yitzhaki to a long term contract. At the end of the 2005–06 season, Yitzhaki attracted interest from Belgian club Racing Genk . Media reports say that he was offered a € 300,000 per annum contract that includes a 20% yearly wage rise for a period no less than three seasons. Beitar is reluctant to see Yitzhaki leave and they have put a price on the striker of no less than US $1,000,000. On June 25, 2006 an official bid was sent for the immediate transfer of Yitzhaki but Beitar chairman Vladimir Sklar rejected the offer of USD $ 250,000. While Yitzhaki and the club were in training in Arnhem , Holland , a representative of Racing Genk showed up at the hotel with an improved offer of USD $ 500,000. It initially looked as if Yitzhaki would be sold to the Belgian side [1] but he eventually signed a long term contract with Beitar. In January 2008, Yitzhaki agreed a move to Racing Genk, where he signed a 3.5 year contract. He scored his first Racing Genk goal in KV Mechelen, it is already named as the goal of the year in Belgium. After this goal he also scored against Moeskroen en Club Brugge. On July 2008, Yitzhaki returned to Beitar Jerusalem , and became the top scorer of the 2008–09 Israeli Premier League .²