Liel Abada

Biography

Liel Abada (Hebrew: ליאל עבדה, /lɪˈɛl/ li-EL; born 3 October 2001) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a winger or a forward for MLS side Charlotte and the Israel national team. Abada was born in Petah Tikva, Israel, to a family of Mizrahi Jewish descent. At the age of 13, his first manager in Maccabi Petah Tikva took Abada's father Ronen and him to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah in Barcelona. His younger brother Orel Abada is also a footballer who plays for Hapoel Ra'anana. Abada is observant and does not play football on the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur. Except for a 3-month period in 2022, he has been in a relationship with Israeli Bar Rashti since 2020. He also plays for Israel's U-21 since 2020. Abada was first called up to the Israeli senior side on 18 March 2021, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA). He made his senior debut with the Israel national team on 5 June 2021, in a friendly match against Montenegro, where he substituted Yonas Malede in the 61st minute with the score at 0–0; the game ended with a 3–1 away victory for Israel. He scored his first senior goal against Iceland, during a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League match on 2 June 2022, which ended in a 2–2 home draw for his native Israel.