Eyal Berkovic, one of the greatest players ever in Israel, is recently connected to a new destination in his career – coaching the national team.
After current manager Andreas Herzog resigned from the role, Berkovic is one of the leading nominees for the role.
Eyal Berkovic was the man who brought English football to the Israeli fans in the 1990’s. After six years in Maccabi Haifa, Berkovic joined Southampton in 1996 and played nearly a decade in Britain. Besides playing for The Saints, he also played for West Ham United, Celtic, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Portsmouth. Meanwhile, he amassed 78 caps for the national team and scored 9 goals.
Berkovic played one more season in Israel, wearing the Yellow and Blue of Maccabi Tel Aviv before officially retiring in 2006. Since then, he became a well-known commentator, and recently also began hosting a popular talk show. During this time, Berkovic had only one dream – to become the national team manager.
In 2009, while the Israeli FA looked for a new manager, Berkovic organized a press conference and announced his will to take the job for the first time. "I will be the national team manager, I would not give up on it, and I'm taking it seriously," said Berkovic. "I know how it feels to be a footballer, and I will bring this knowledge to the job."
But there is one major doubt about his ability to lead the national team. Berkovic never managed a senior team. But during that press conference, he was confident. "I never was a manager, but I saw those experienced managers. It doesn't matter if we will appoint a non-league manager or Fabio Capello, there is no guarantee that any of them will succeed." In the decade since, Berkovic still didn't take a managerial position and he remains inexperienced.
Moreover, he has a long history of controversies. The most known incident was during his spell in West Ham United when John Hartson kicked his face in training. Later, during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Berkovic didn't get a call-up for the squad. In a documentary film that was shot about his last season as a player, he said, "I can't tell the players 'good luck' before the match, it's like i want that national team to lose." When Andi Herzog was appointed, he said that “it’s a disgrace to appoint someone that hates our national team.”
Recently, Eyal Berkovic was involved in another controversy after Bibars Natcho was selected as the national team captain. "I appreciate Bibars, I think he is a great player, but you can't be the captain if you are not singing the anthem," Berkovic said after Natcho’s first match as captain. Since then, people started to wonder whether it's appropriate to appoint him for the job.
Israel's next mission will be the 2020 Euro playoffs with an away match against Scotland. The Israeli FA will need to appoint a manager quickly, and alongside Berkovic, there are other managers with more experience. There are those who will say that he may not fit the job, but others still believe that like his nickname, “The Magician”, Berkovic will get a chance to make the magic that no one has done before him.