Ofir Marciano


Ofir Meir Marciano is an Israeli footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian. Marciano has also played for Ashdod, Royal Excel Mouscron and the Israel national team.

Early life

Marciano was born in Ashdod, Israel, to a Sephardic Jewish family.

Career

Club career

Marciano signed for Ashdod in 2008, and made over 120 league appearances for the Israeli club. On 7 July 2015, he signed a season-long loan deal with Belgian club Royal Excel Mouscron.
In August 2016, he signed for Scottish club Hibernian on loan for the 2016–17 season, although red tape held up his eligibility to play for the club. Marciano said that he was sold on the move by fellow Israeli Nir Bitton, who plays for Celtic. Following a three-week delay, it was announced on 26 August that Marciano had obtained his work permit after passing an English test. He made his debut for the club on the following day, in a 4–0 win against Greenock Morton. Marciano made 21 league appearances as Hibernian won the 2016–17 Scottish Championship, earning promotion to the Scottish Premiership.
In June 2017, he signed a four-year deal with Hibernian. Marciano was replaced in the team by Ross Laidlaw in September, missing one game due to observing Yom Kippur. Marciano regained his place, but in June 2018 he underwent surgery on a finger injury. This caused him to miss matches early in the 2018–19 season, which led to Hibs signing Hungarian goalkeeper Adam Bogdan. Marciano resumed training in October 2018 and subsequently regained the starting position with Hibs.
Chris Maxwell replaced Marciano as first choice early in the 2019-20 season, but the Israeli regained his place during December 2019.

International career

He made his international debut on 10 October 2014, as Israel won 2–1 against Cyprus in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. Marciano was recalled to the Israel squad in November 2016, but had to withdraw after suffering a knee injury in training. He played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Spain in March 2017, but was at fault for the second goal of a 4-1 defeat. Marciano was recalled to the national squad in March 2019, and played in their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches in October.

Personal life

Marciano is married to Israeli model Shelly Marciano. They reside in Musselburgh, Scotland and have a son named Sun.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

;Hibernian
  • Scottish Championship: 2016–17