JERUSALEM, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Hapoel Tel Aviv defender Yahav Gurfinkel moved to the Chinese Super League (CSL) after signing with Chengdu Rongcheng FC, the Israeli club said in a statement on Thursday.
Gurfinkel, 25, thus becomes the fourth Israeli ever to play in China's top league. He was preceded by defender Liron Zarku, who played for Chongqing Lifan in 2009, and two former Guangzhou R&F forwards Eran Zahavi and Dia Saba, with Zahavi being crowned top scorer twice, in 2017 and 2019.
Chengdu Rongcheng, Gurfinkel's new team, finished the CSL 2023 season in fourth place.
Gurfinkel began his career with the Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa, and has since then played for four other Israeli clubs, including Hapoel Tel Aviv, where he arrived in the summer of 2022. In between, in the 2021-2022 season, he played for the Swedish club IFK Norrkoping.
He also made 33 appearances with the Israeli youth national teams, ranging from the U16 to the U21 levels.
"I thank Hapoel Tel Aviv for an amazing year and a half, for experiences and moments that will accompany me in the future, for the special people at the club, and for the best fans in Israel," Gurfinkel said. ■
