_(cropped).jpeg) Abu Fani in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1998-04-27)27 April 1998 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Kafr Qara, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ferencváros | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2017 | Maccabi Haifa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2023 | Maccabi Haifa | 102 | (10) |
| 2017–2018 | →Hapoel Ramat Gan (loan) | 26 | (2) |
| 2018–2020 | →Hapoel Hadera (loan) | 44 | (3) |
| 2023– | Ferencváros | 59 | (6) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016–2017 | Israel U19 | 19 | (5) |
| 2018–2020 | Israel U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 2020– | Israel | 33 | (4) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 31 October 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:43, 14 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Mohammad Abu Fani (or Mohamad Abo-Fani,[2][3]Arabic:مُحَمَّد أَبُو فَانِيّ,Hebrew:מוחמד אבו פאני; born 27 April 1998) is anIsraeli professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder for Hungarian clubFerencváros and theIsrael national team.
Abu Fani was born inKafr Qara, Israel, to aMuslim-Arab family. His father Sami Abu Fani, a former local footballer, supported Mohammad's football career from a young age. He has two sisters, Rawan and Lareen.[citation needed]
On 13 May 2017, Abu Fani made his debut forMaccabi Haifa in a 1–0 loss toBnei Sakhnin, coming in as a substitute at the 46th minute.[4] At youth level, he was part of the Maccabi Haifa U-21 team which won two consecutive championships, in2015–16 and2016–17, as well as reaching theUEFA Youth League play off stage.[5]
On 15 June 2023, Abu Fani signed for four years forFerencváros.[6]
On 20 April 2024, the Ferencváros–Kisvárda tie ended with a goalless draw at theGroupama Aréna on the 29th match day of the2023–24 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season[7] which meant that Ferencváros won their 35th championship.[8][9]
On 15 May 2024, Ferencváros were defeated byPaks 2–0 in the2024 Magyar Kupa Final at thePuskás Aréna.[10][11]
Since youth, Abu Fani played for both theunder-19 and theunder-21 national teams of Israel, appearing in 18 matches, and scoring three goals for the U19s.[12]
He made his senior debut forIsrael on 8 October 2020 in aUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs away match againstScotland.[13]
Abu Fani has faced Islamophobic taunts fromfar-right Israelifootball hooligans despite playing for the national team. During his team's 2-1 victory over Andorra at a Euro 2024 tournament qualifier, Abu Fani was booed and called a "terrorist"[14] by far-right fans ofBeitar Jerusalem F.C. After the incident, Abu Fani's father said "When the opposing team swears at you, it’s a sign you’re a good player. When it comes from your fans, it hurts."[15]
On 9 September 2024, Abu Fani scored his first senior international goal against Italy in the UEFA Nations League.[16] A month later in the return match against Italy, Abu Fani scored an"Olimpico" goal directly from the corner kick.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 September 2024 | Bozsik Aréna,Budapest, Hungary |  Italy | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League |
| 2 | 14 October 2024 | Stadio Friuli,Udine, Italy | 1–2 | 1–4 | ||
| 3 | 25 March 2025 | Nagyerdei Stadion,Debrecen, Hungary |  Norway | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 6 June 2025 | Lilleküla Stadium,Tallinn, Estonia |  Estonia | 3–1 | 3–1 |
Maccabi Haifa
Ferencváros
