Avi Ran

Widely considered one of the greatest football players in Israel, he had a promising future which was cut short by a fatal accident.

Ran made his debut in Haifa's senior team in the 1981–82 season at the age of 17 in a match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, keeping a clean sheet in the process.

Being a popular social figure in the group, a wave of protests occurred from a number of players, such as Baruch Maman and Ronnie Rosenthal, who requested that Scharf let him stay, but he would not listen to them.

Ran helped to Haifa to win the first Israeli Premier League title in its history, conceding only 28 goals.

However, the Championship was won by Hapoel Tel Aviv on the final day, as they faced off with Haifa in a game that would decide the title winners.

On 11 July 1987, Ran was killed on the "Guy" beach in Tiberias when he was hit by a passing racing boat whilst Maccabi Haifa were on a vacation off season in the Sea of Galilee.