Nir Davidovich (; also spelled Davidovitch; born 17 December 1976) is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, Davidovich spent his whole career in Maccabi Haifa. He suffered from 3 serious injuries, but managed to recover and lead the team to its 8th championship, winning the MVP title in 2004. He is considered a "symbol" of the club along with the veteran captain Yaniv Katan. Many talk about him as the successor of legendary goalkeeper Avi Ran, a Maccabi Haifa prodigy who died in a diving accident. At international level, he was the number one goalkeeper in the Israeli national team for a time. Early life Davidovich was born in Haifa, Israel, to a Jewish family. His father is footballer Benjamin Davidovich. Records Nickname: "The Octopus" Birth Date: 17 December 1976. Played for: Maccabi Haifa, Israel First Appearance: Domestic - 4 November 1995 versus Beitar Jerusalem. International - 18 February 1998 versus Turkey. Number of appearances (as for September 2011) at: Israel national team - 51 (1 as captain). European competitions - 55. Domestic league - 368. Domestic cup - 39. Height: 185 cm. Weight: 85 kg. Status: married to Avital, with three children. Honours: 7 championships, 2 Israeli cups, 3 Toto Cups, 1 MVP of the season. Football career Played in each age-class youth national team of Israel. 1995: Promoted to senior team of Maccabi Haifa. 1996: Gave outstanding performance when Maccabi Haifa kept a 0–0 against Hapoel Petah Tikva after 3 (!) "greens" were sent off. 1997: Overcame veteran goalkeeper Bonni Ginzburg to become MHFC senior goalkeeper. 1998: First international appearance at Israel 4–0 victory over Turkey. 1998: Wins the Israeli cup after 2–0 victory over Hapoel Jerusalem. 1998: Excels in 1–1 draw against French top football club Paris Saint-Germain. 1999: Injured seriously in the crotch and missed the entire season. 2000–2001: Won the championship with Maccabi Haifa, conceding only 28 goals (the lowest in that season). 2001: Injured in his knee in the match versus Spain, where he kept the Israeli goal clean until he was replaced in half-time. 2002: Missed most of the season because of his knee injury. 2003: Recovered from knee injury and played the final matches in the league. 2003: Excelled in MHFC 0:0 draw against Valencia. After his performance he received grades of 10 in the Israeli press (just seven players received grade of 10 in