Gal Mesika
Gal Mesika (born June 29, 1988) is an Israeli American football and association football player.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gal Mesika | ||
| Date of birth | June 29, 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Herzliya, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Maccabi Herzliya[1] | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2009 | Maccabi Herzliya | 4 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Maccabi Kafr Kanna | 25 | (0) |
| 2010 | Hapoel Kfar Shalem | 1 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Shimshon Bnei Tayibe | 10 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Hapoel Bnei Lod | 22 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Hapoel Ra'anana | 2 | (0) |
| 2014 | Amishav Petah Tikva | 15 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | F.C. Kafr Qasim | 16 | (0) |
| 2015 | Maccabi Netanya | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 96 | (1) | |
| National team | |||
| 2006 | Israel U-18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Israel U-19[2] | 15 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
| Born: | 29 June 1988 Herzliya, Israel |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Placekicker |
| Height | 5 ft 11.3 in (181 cm) |
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
Biography
Gal Mesika was born in Herzliya to a Tunisian-Jewish family. His father was also a footballer who played for Maccabi Herzliya and also served as the CEO of the club from 1996 to 2009.[3]
Sports career
In association football he is a goalkeeper and has previously played with Hapoel Ra'anana from 2013-2014 and began playing for Maccabi Netanya in 2015. He was the also previously the starting goalkeeper for the Israel national under-19 football team.[4]
In 2015, Mesika made the transition into playing American football, and joined the Israel national American football team as a placekicker.[5] After seeing Mesika play Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots stated he expected to soon see an Israeli play in the NFL.[6] In February 2016 Mesika was invited to be the first ever Israeli to try out for the NFL.[7]
See also
References
- http://eng.football.org.il/Leagues/Pages/PlayerDetails.aspx?PLAYER_ID=6329&SEASON_ID=16
- http://football.org.il/NationalTeam/Pages/NationalTeamPlayerDetails.aspx?PLAYER_ID=6329&NATIONAL_TEAM_ID=149
- "שמעון מסיקה סיים את תפקידו במכבי הרצליה". שמעון מסיקה סיים את תפקידו במכבי הרצליה (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2017-11-17.
- "Israeli soccer player earns tryout with NFL". Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- "Israeli soccer player trying out for the NFL". The Canadian Jewish News. 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- "Israeli soccer-turned-football star Mesika headed to US tryout". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- Terry, Erica (2016-02-17). "Israeli Soccer Player Gal Mesika to Try Out with NFL". Jspace News. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
External links
- Gal Mesika – Israel Football Association league player details
- Gal Mesika – Israel Football Association national team player details