The Israeli team has some really good players, and over the years, several Israelis have played in the EPL and elsewhere in Europe.
Yeah, I can’t blame them for leaving home to get some real $$, but it still hurts.
Unrelated, but there was a non-Jewish guy who used to help around the synagogue when I was growing up — ended up falling in love and converting — he was a former professional footballer and coached a local team.
We called him the “football goy” because he would keep us all updated about the games on Shabbos. Very popular guy, as a result.