- published: 17 Dec 2008
- views: 13917
Eli Ohana (Hebrew: אלי אוחנה; born February 1, 1964 in Jerusalem, Israel) is a former Israeli football player and later a manager. He is currently the manager of the Israel U21 team. He is considered to be one of the greatest Israeli players ever.
Ohana was born in Jerusalem to a Jewish traditional family that moved to Jerusalem from the Wadi Salib ma'abara in Haifa. He had 7 brothers and two sisters (one of them was from his fathers previous marriage). The family struggled with financial problems.
At the age of eleven, Ohana joined the youth system of Beitar Jerusalem. The one who encouraged him to do that was his brother, Yossi. His father, a traditional Jew, opposed but eventually allowed him on condition he will visit a synagoge before a practice every Saturday.
Despite being good on the field, at school he had problems and his brother Yossi told him he has to choose, football or school. He chose football, despite his fathers resistance. At that time Eli's brother Yossi got married and took Eli to live with him and his wife.