Lior Refaalov, 39, one of the greatest icons in the history of Maccabi Haifa and after a 20-year career, officially hung up his boots this evening (Monday, 19/5/2025) and retired from active football play in a match as part of the 9th round of the top playoffs in the Super League in which the green Maccabi Haifa hosted the yellow Maccabi Tel Aviv, which is claiming the championship crown.
In the match, the Yellows, Maccabi Tel Aviv, defeated Maccabi Haifa with an impressive and shared 3:0 victory, with Petacci scoring with a huge kick from outside the box (minute 23), Osher Davida scoring (minute 52) and Ido Shahar scoring in the 87th minute, also determining the outcome of the match. Maccabi Tel Aviv is leaving the pitch with the upper hand, facing its match to be held this coming Saturday against Beitar Jerusalem, a match that will also determine the fate of the championship.
Captain Refaalov received a respectful farewell from the green crowd, when before the start of the intriguing match between the teams, Maccabi Haifa held a ceremony in his honor. The green club paid him a final tribute when he received a framed shirt in the club's uniform. It was the No. 26 shirt on the back, which was Refaalov's first when he played for Maccabi Haifa's senior team, a shirt he received in the 2006 UEFA Cup round of XNUMX match against the Spanish team "Espanyol". It should also be noted that a giant-sized shirt of his was spread out on the pitch at Sami Ofer.
When he was all excited on the pitch together with his wife Gal, his parents and his children, Refaalov turned to the Green fans and said: "Dear audience, I want to thank you for every moment you were there for me and my family. Thank you very much for the trust of each and every one of you. Come on, let's play football."
Even before the start of the game, the champion of the Youth Super League, Maccabi "Hardy" Haifa, held the championship round at the "Sami Ofer" Stadium, along with the championship plate it won, which it raised in its last league game of the season last Saturday at its home field "Katzaf" in Haifa.
Meanwhile, it should be noted that this week, the Maccabi Haifa Football Club Museum will present a special exhibition with exclusive items from the captain, including: original game shirts, the original Golden Shoe, the Player of the Season trophy, and other exciting surprises.
In addition, every visitor to the museum during the exhibition will receive a signed, limited edition postcard as a gift.
The exhibition hours at the museum are as follows: Today (Monday) – 16:00 PM-19:30 PM, Tuesday – 16:00 PM-20:00 PM, Wednesday – 16:00 PM-20:00 PM, Thursday – 16:00 PM-20:00 PM, Friday – 10:00 AM-14:00 PM, Saturday – 10:00 AM-16:00 PM.
