| Nir Bitton | |
| Birth Date: | 30 October 1991 |
| Birth Place: | Ashdod, Israel |
| Height: | 1.95 m[1] |
| Position: | Defensive midfielder, centre back |
| Currentclub: | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Clubnumber: | 55 |
| Youthyears1: | 1997–2009 |
| Youthclubs1: | SC Ashdod |
| Years1: | 2009–2013 |
| Clubs1: | SC Ashdod |
| Caps1: | 123 |
| Goals1: | 14 |
| Years2: | 2013–2022 |
| Clubs2: | Celtic |
| Caps2: | 158 |
| Goals2: | 9 |
| Years3: | 2022– |
| Clubs3: | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Caps3: | 30 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2008 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2009 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2009 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2010–2013 |
| Nationalyears5: | 2010– |
| Nationalteam1: | Israel U17 |
| Nationalteam2: | Israel U18 |
| Nationalteam3: | Israel U19 |
| Nationalteam4: | Israel U21 |
| Nationalteam5: | Israel |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 2 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 15 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 22 |
| Nationalcaps5: | 39 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals5: | 3 |
| Club-Update: | 1 February 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 26 March 2022 |
Nir Bitton (or Biton,[2] [3] [4] Hebrew: ניר ביטון; born 30 October 1991) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or as a defensive midfielder for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israel national team.
Bitton was born and raised in Ashdod, Israel, to a family of both Sephardi Jewish and Mizrahi Jewish descent.[5] He was enlisted and served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.[6]
He married his Israeli girlfriend Bar (Shimon) in 2014: the couple have two children, Emma and Tom.[7] [8]
Bitton broke into the senior team of his home-town club SC Ashdod at the age of 17 in an Israeli Premier League match on 25 April 2009, and went on to make over 120 appearances.[9]
On 30 August 2013, Bitton signed a four-year deal with Scottish Premiership club Celtic, for a fee of around £700,000 and a 20% sell-on clause from Israeli Premier League club SC Ashdod.[10]
He made his debut for the club on 18 September, in a Champions League group stage match against AC Milan, coming into the game as a late substitute in the 89th minute.[11] [12] Three weeks later he made another Champions League appearance for Celtic, coming as a 77th-minute substitute against Ajax on 22 October, but was sent off eleven minutes later for a late tackle on Thulani Serero. The resulting suspension and a few niggling injuries hindered Bitton's efforts to establish himself in the team,[13] but he still managed to make a total of 20 appearances for Celtic by the end of his first season there.[14] Celtic won their third successive league title, and Bitton's 15 league appearances saw him pick up his first major honour.[15]
In the 2014–15 season, Bitton scored in Celtic's first league match of the season from the penalty spot after a controversial red card for St Johnstone defender Dave Mackay.[16] Celtic winger Derk Boerrigter was later given a 3-match ban for simulation.[17] Later in the season, Bitton scored a stunning 30-yard goal against Dundee. in a 5–0 win.[18] He scored another long-distance strike on 12 August 2015, netting from 25 yards into the top corner in a 2–2 draw with Kilmarnock.[19]
To begin the 2015–16 season, on 19 August 2015, Bitton scored against Swedish side Malmö FF in a 3–2 win at Celtic Park in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs.[20] On 2 November 2015, Bitton was signed a new contract which would keep him at Celtic until the summer of 2020,[21] and again on 16 December 2019 he extended his contract up to 2023.[22]
On 13 May 2022, Celtic announced that Bitton and teammate Tom Rogic would both be leaving the club after the final game of the season against Motherwell.[23] Bitton said: "When I came to Celtic I never thought I would be part of such exciting times and it truly has been amazing to be part of such a great club. I have worked with some great managers and team-mates and I thank them all for those times and all we achieved together."[24] On his 245th and final game for Celtic, Bitton came on as a substitute for club captain Callum McGregor in the 85th minute, as Celtic ran out 6–0 winners.[25] Rogic and Bitton brought out the Scottish Premiership trophy together, which McGregor then lifted aloft with his departing teammates standing on either side.[26]
Bitton also occasionally captained Celtic.[27] [28] [29]
On 1 July 2022, Bitton joined Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract with an option for a third year. The player thus returned to Israel after spending nine years in Scotland.[30] [31]
In 2009, Bitton represented his native Israel at the 2009 Maccabiah Games, and the team won a bronze medal.[32] [33] He played for the only Israel U-21 team to qualify for the UEFA European U21 Championship in 2013.[34]
He made his senior debut for Israel in a friendly match against Uruguay on 26 May 2010. Bitton played a major role in qualifying games for the 2016 UEFA Euro Tournament.[35] He scored his first goal for the national team against Andorra in a 4–0 victory On 3 September 2015.[36] Ever since 23 March 2016, Bitton is being used as a second or a third Captain for the senior Israel national team.[37] Bitton debuted as the first Captain of the senior national team, in a 3–2 home win for Israel against Faroe Islands on 15 November 2021 (even after Eitan Tibi, Israel's vice-captain, was substituted in), at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[38]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| SC Ashdod[40] | 2008–09 | Israeli Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Israeli Premier League | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| 2010–11 | Israeli Premier League | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2011–12 | Israeli Premier League | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Israeli Premier League | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Israeli Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 123 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 14 | |||
| Celtic | 2013–14 | Scottish Premiership | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[41] | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Scottish Premiership | 31 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5[42] | 0 | 43 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Scottish Premiership | 30 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11[43] | 3 | 46 | 8 | ||
| 2016–17 | Scottish Premiership | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 39 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Scottish Premiership | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Scottish Premiership | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Scottish Premiership | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11[44] | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Scottish Premiership | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[45] | 0 | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | Scottish Premiership | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[46] | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Total | 158 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 55 | 4 | 245 | 13 | |||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2022–23 | Israeli Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[47] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 282 | 23 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 56 | 4 | 371 | 27 | |||
Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bitton goal.[35] [48]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 September 2015 | Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel | 2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification | ||
| 2 | 10 October 2015 | Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem, Israel | 1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification | ||
| 3 | 12 November 2021 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria | 1–0 | 2–4 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Celtic[15]