Amit Nimni, the 19-year-old son of Maccabi Tel Aviv legend Avi Nimni, has taken his first real step into senior Israeli football, signing a one-year contract with Hapoel Kfar Shalem of the Liga Leumit, Israel's second-tier National League, ONE reports.
The move is a genuine step up. Nimni spent last season with Samson Tel Aviv's youth setup, where ONE reports he scored more than 20 goals, while also being handed two senior appearances for the club in Liga Alef South, one tier below where he is now headed.
Hapoel Kfar Shalem, based in the Kfar Shalem quarter of southeast Tel Aviv, are managed by Noam Shoham, who returned to the club for a second spell in charge this year after a previous stint in the dugout. The Hatikva neighbourhood club have bounced between the National League and Liga Alef in recent seasons and will be looking to establish themselves back in the second tier.
According to ONE, Nimni is expected to make his debut for the club in the Toto Cup opener, a home fixture against Kfar Qasem at the Hatikva Neighborhood Stadium, the modest 2,570-capacity ground Kfar Shalem share with Bnei Yehuda.
The surname carries weight in Israeli football. Avi Nimni is Maccabi Tel Aviv's all-time leading scorer, spent much of his 17-season career at the club as captain, and had his number 8 shirt retired after he hung up his boots. He also had spells at Atletico Madrid, on loan at Derby County, and later at Beitar Jerusalem, alongside a long run with the Israel national team.
For his son, the jump from Liga Alef youth football to a National League first-team squad is exactly the kind of opportunity that comes with pressure attached. A one-year deal gives him a season to show he can hold his own in senior football on his own terms, away from the shadow of his father's name.
