Maor Melikson’s career was one step away from an early end in the 2007-08 season.
He was just 23 years old, but one of Israeli football’s rising stars has failed to impress in the leading club in the country back then, Maccabi Haifa. In the January transfer window, he was transferred to struggling Hapoel Kfar Saba, had more disappointing performances, and the team eventually got relegated. The critics were all over him, and it seemed the youngster is going backwards.
When he decided to sign for Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the summer of 2008, there were doubts about his chances to return to the top tier. Playing for a second division team could be easily the first step before journeying the lower divisions for good. However, fate had other plans and twelve years later, as Melikson retires at the age of 35, we can surely say that it was a life-changing decision.
Expectations were high from Melikson at the beginning of his career. After debuting in Maccabi Yavne from the third division, and quickly receiving a chance in the youth national teams, his talents caught the eyes of powerhouse Beitar Jerusalem. In 2002, he signed for the Yellow and Blacks from the capital. From the first moment in the top tier, no one could ignore his skills. The attacking midfielder produced the passes, dribbled the ball gently in a way that his opponents couldn't stop him, and assisted them with high accuracy.
As a promising talent, the most obvious back then was a move to reigning champions, Maccabi Haifa. He signed for the Greens in 2006, but didn't play too much, and quickly found himself in Hapoel Kfar Saba after a year and a half. He stayed there for five months, finishing the season with a relegation to the second tier. Later, Hapoel Kfar Saba decided to release him, but even though Melikson was a free agent, these two years that made people doubt his skills.
Signing for second division team Hapoel Be’er Sheva in 2008 was a huge gamble on his part. When a prospect like Melikson makes such a move, it could provide a chance to start from scratch or be the first step towards an average career. And it was far from being a bright start. The club began its fourth consecutive season in the second league, had a recent ownership change, and was a symbol of instability. A crucial decision made by the FA to change the league system and expand the top league led to a situation that five teams (out of twelve) were due to be promoted. This provided a window of opportunity for all the teams, but nothing was guaranteed. For Hapoel Be’er Sheva, it was a chance to return to their natural top tier spot, but everything was gloomy around the team back then.
From the first moment, there was a perfect match between Melikson and the fans. For him, it was an opportunity to get back to the main stage and show his talent again. The fans understood it, saw his passion in every match, and he became their favorite player quickly. In that season, Melikson was one of the dominant players in the club, as Hapoel Be’er Sheva was promoted back to the top tier. In the next season and a half, he presented his skills time after time, although the club was mid-table at best. In 2010, he even made his international debut, when played in a friendly match against Uruguay. There was no doubt Melikson is a level above his club, and it was a matter of time before he searched for a new challenge. The real breakthrough came in January 2011, when Polish side Wisla Krakow bought his services.
It’s hard to believe that a player can make such a journey from failure to a huge success in such a short period, especially when playing abroad for the first time, but Melikson felt home in Poland immediately. In the first few months in Poland, Melikson made 15 appearances, scored 3 goals, and led Wisla Krakow to the Ekstraklasa title. He won the league's biggest discovery title and was chosen in the best XI of the season. The fans went crazy for him. However, something was still missing. He made another international cap for Israel, once again in a friendly match, but Melikson felt that he is not getting enough credit in the national team.
In September 2011, Melikson's career was in the middle of a crossroad. He was supposed to be called up for the last match in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, but behind the scenes, something else was happening. The Polish FA chairman, Grzegorz Lato, said that there is an intent to call him up for Poland's Euro 2012 squad, which they hosted. Melikson already had a Polish passport, and considered it as a realistic option. It was also confirmed by Wisla Krakow's manager, Robert Maaskant.
This hard decision led Melikson into a tricky position. There were internal discussions in Israel to prevent Melikson from playing in the Israeli national team, even if he would choose not to play for Poland. Melikson tried to be as neutral as he can until he decided to announce that he would not play for any national team for the time being. Only after a new manager was appointed for Israel, Melikson was convinced to play for his homeland. A few months later, he was back in the Israeli squad. Meanwhile, his career had reached a new peak when he signed for the French club Valenciennes in January 2013.
As he played abroad and many people in Israel had negative opinions about Melikson, especially due to his thoughts to play for the Polish national team, Hapoel Be’er Sheva was still alongside him. The team fans traveled to Krakow and Valenciennes to support him. In Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s home matches, you could find the Red shirts of Wisla Krakow and Valenciennes in the stands, with the Melikson name on the back, of course. The fan groups on Facebook were full of videos and posts, calling him to come back home to his beloved club.
The summer of 2014 wasn't a comfortable one for the city of Be’er Sheva. An Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip led to a situation where rockets were fired to the city on a daily basis. During these difficult weeks, there was one bright moment: Hapoel Be’er Sheva announced that Melikson signed for the club once again. "Our meeting took only a few minutes," said Alona Barkat, Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s owner, "it was clear for him that he will sign for Hapoel Be’er Sheva, money wasn't an issue."
You could easily feel the fan excitement. Melikson's arrival was the last piece of the puzzle before the club's golden era. He was once again one of the leading players, as the team won three consecutive championships after a 40-year drought. Later, he also led Hapoel Be’er Sheva to its first appearance in the Europa League group stage. In that sensational campaign, the team has surprised and defeated Inter Milan twice and reached the round of 32.
His retirement was expected, but also left the fans shocked. In the end of the last season, Melikson decided to delay a hernia surgery to help the team in the final rounds. The surgery took place during the summer break and, unfortunately, almost had catastrophic complications. Melikson stated that the doctors were worried his leg might need to be amputated. It was a miracle that he even managed to play in three matches before his retirement.
"Maybe it sounds weird, but if I could change something in my career, I would never chose to play in Europe. I would not leave Hapoel Be’er Sheva", Melikson said recently. His career is full of “what if” questions, as he had many crucial crossroads that could have changed the reality entirely.
For example, there was always the question of how Melikson's career would look like if he could fulfill his potential as expected. It's not only the decision to play in the second division or turning down the chance to represent Poland in Euro 2012 - one of the defining stats of Melikson’s career is that he missed the chance to play in the UEFA Champions League group stage on four different occasions, each time by a single goal . In 2006, Maccabi Haifa was close to eliminating Liverpool, but ultimately lost 3-2 on aggregate. With Wisla Krakow in 2011, only three minutes separated the Israeli and his team from qualifying, before APOEL Nicosia scored a decisive goal to break the Polish hearts. As an Hapoel Be’er Sheva player, he lost two playoffs clash against Celtic and Maribor, as Hapoel missed late chances to qualify in both occasions. Even one campaign in the big stage could have proved a life-changing moment, but it wasn’t meant to be.
"For three years, I had a hole in my heart." These are the first words of the Hapoel Be’er Sheva fan song dedicated to Melikson, a memory from the time that he left them for Wisla. After his retirement, this hole in the fans’ heart has opened again. Unlike the previous occasion, now it is full of memories from a majestic era they could have only dreamed of - and which Melikson made possible.
Thumbnail photo by Lior Moskovich/Hapoel Be’er Sheva