Nir Bitton
Israeli footballer (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nir Bitton (or Biton,[2][3] Hebrew: ניר ביטון; born 30 October 1991) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Israeli Premier League club F.C. Ashdod.
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Bitton playing for Celtic in 2017 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 October 1991 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ashdod, Israel | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | F.C. Ashdod | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2009 | F.C. Ashdod | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2013 | F.C. Ashdod | 123 | (14) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2022 | Celtic | 158 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2025 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 31 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | F.C. Ashdod | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Israel U17 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Israel U18 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Israel U19 | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Israel U21 | 22 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2022 | Israel | 39 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 September 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Early and personal life
Bitton was born and raised in Ashdod, Israel, to a family of both Sephardi Jewish and Mizrahi Jewish descent.[4] He was enlisted and served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.[5]
He married his Israeli girlfriend Bar (née Shimon) in 2014: the couple have two children, Emma and Tom.[6][7]
Club career
SC Ashdod
Bitton broke into the senior team of his home-town club SC Ashdod at the age of 17 in an Israeli Premier League match on 25 April 2009, and went on to make over 120 appearances.[8]
Celtic
On 30 August 2013, Bitton signed a four-year deal with Scottish Premiership club Celtic, for a fee of around £700,000 and a 20% sell-on clause from Israeli Premier League club SC Ashdod.[9]
He made his debut for the club on 18 September, in a Champions League group stage match against AC Milan, coming into the game as a late substitute in the 89th minute.[10][11] Three weeks later he made another Champions League appearance for Celtic, coming as a 77th-minute substitute against Ajax on 22 October, but was sent off eleven minutes later for a late tackle on Thulani Serero.[10] The resulting suspension and a few niggling injuries hindered Bitton's efforts to establish himself in the team,[12] but he still managed to make a total of 20 appearances for Celtic by the end of his first season there.[13] Celtic won their third successive league title, and Bitton's 15 league appearances saw him pick up his first major honour.[12][14]
In the 2014–15 season, Bitton scored in Celtic's first league match of the season from the penalty spot after a controversial red card for St Johnstone defender Dave Mackay.[15] Celtic winger Derk Boerrigter was later given a 3-match ban for simulation.[16] Later in the season, Bitton scored a stunning 30-yard goal against Dundee in a 5–0 win.[17] He scored another long-distance strike on 12 August 2015, netting from 25 yards into the top corner in a 2–2 draw with Kilmarnock.[18]
To begin the 2015–16 season, on 19 August 2015, Bitton scored against Swedish side Malmö FF in a 3–2 win at Celtic Park in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs.[19] On 2 November 2015, Bitton was signed a new contract which would keep him at Celtic until the summer of 2020,[20] and again on 16 December 2019 he extended his contract up to 2023.[21]
On 13 May 2022, Celtic announced that Bitton and teammate Tom Rogic would both be leaving the club after the final game of the season against Motherwell.[22] Bitton said: "When I came to Celtic I never thought I would be part of such exciting times and it truly has been amazing to be part of such a great club. I have worked with some great managers and team-mates and I thank them all for those times and all we achieved together."[23] On his 245th and final game for Celtic, Bitton came on as a substitute for club captain Callum McGregor in the 85th minute, as Celtic ran out 6–0 winners.[24] Rogic and Bitton brought out the Scottish Premiership trophy together, which McGregor then lifted aloft with his departing teammates standing on either side.[25]
Maccabi Tel Aviv
On 1 July 2022, Bitton joined Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract with an option for a third year. The player thus returned to Israel after spending nine years in Scotland.[29][30]
International career
In 2009, Bitton represented his native Israel at the 2009 Maccabiah Games, and the team won a bronze medal.[31][32] He played for the only Israel U-21 team to qualify for the UEFA European U21 Championship in 2013.[33]
He made his senior debut for Israel in a friendly match against Uruguay on 26 May 2010. Bitton played a major role in qualifying games for the 2016 UEFA Euro Tournament.[34] He scored his first goal for the national team against Andorra in a 4–0 victory On 3 September 2015.[35] Ever since 23 March 2016, Bitton is being used as a second or a third Captain for the senior Israel national team.[36] Bitton debuted as the first Captain of the senior national team, in a 3–2 home win for Israel against Faroe Islands on 15 November 2021 (even after Eitan Tibi, Israel's vice-captain, was substituted in), at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[37]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ashdod[c] | 2008–09 | Israeli Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Israeli Premier League | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 20 | 1 | ||
| 2010–11 | Israeli Premier League | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2011–12 | Israeli Premier League | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 36 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Israeli Premier League | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 32 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Israeli Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 123 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 124 | 14 | |||
| Celtic | 2013–14 | Scottish Premiership | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2014–15 | Scottish Premiership | 31 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5[e] | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | Scottish Premiership | 30 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11[f] | 3 | 46 | 8 | |
| 2016–17 | Scottish Premiership | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8[d] | 1 | 39 | 2 | |
| 2017–18 | Scottish Premiership | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Scottish Premiership | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Scottish Premiership | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11[g] | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Scottish Premiership | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[h] | 0 | 21 | 1 | |
| 2021–22 | Scottish Premiership | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[i] | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Total | 158 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 55 | 4 | 245 | 13 | ||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2022–23 | Israeli Premier League | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[j] | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| 2023–24 | Israeli Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9[j] | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Israeli Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[k] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 49 | 1 | ||
| Ashdod | 2024–25 | Israeli Premier League | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 | 0 | |
| Career total | 328 | 24 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 71 | 4 | 434 | 28 | ||
- Includes Israel State Cup, Scottish Cup
- Includes Toto Cup, Scottish League Cup
- Cup appearances for Ashdod are unknown
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
- Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League
- One appearance in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
- One appearance in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearance in UEFA Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bitton goal.[34][40]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 September 2015 | Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel |  Andorra | 2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 2 | 10 October 2015 | Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem, Israel |  Cyprus | 1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 3 | 12 November 2021 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria |  Austria | 1–0 | 2–4 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
