Hapoel Hadera's youth department has two new coordinators, and they have arrived by way of one of Europe's great development factories. ONE reports that Paulo Reis and André Salvado, both formerly of Benfica Lisbon, have taken charge of overseeing every age group at the club, from the promoted youth side down through the U-17s, U-16s and U-15s.
Reis, 50, holds a degree in physical education and has spent more than two decades coaching, including seven years inside Benfica working across multiple youth age groups. His CV also includes stints in Portugal and China, plus time helping run Estoril Praia's senior squad.
Salvado, 36, has spent 15-plus years in the game, working as an analyst on Benfica's first team during a period that included Champions League football and Portuguese league titles. He too has coached and developed young players in Portugal and China, and is described as bringing particular expertise in tactical analysis and squad leadership.
Their job in Hadera is not simply to coach — it is to import a methodology. According to Sport5, the arrangement calls for the pair to implement Benfica's development principles across the club's teams, train up local staff, and build long-term processes rather than deliver a quick fix.
The appointments are the first visible product of a much bigger shift at the club. Control of Hapoel Hadera has passed from Yakir Schwartz to Ittai Ben-Zeev, the CEO of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, with former Hapoel Be'er Sheva chief executive Asi Rahamim installed as the owner's representative, according to Bizportal and Sport5.
Hadera mayor Nir Ben Haim welcomed the Benfica tie-up in comments carried by Sport5: "We're bringing knowledge, professionalism and world-class standards, and we believe Israel's next great talents can grow here in Hadera."
Ben-Zeev struck a similar note, framing the move as building "a professional, stable club connected to the city while operating by international standards — a shift that will impact generations of children."
The Benfica link is also tied to a third strand: the Tony Rwanda project, which Rahamim continues to oversee as sporting director. Sport5 describes a trilateral model connecting Lisbon, Rwanda and Hadera, with at least one Rwandan player expected to join Hadera's youth setup as an early step.
For Hadera, the timing matters. The club's youth team has just won promotion to the top division, and its U-17, U-16 and U-15 sides are all already playing in the senior league — giving the incoming Portuguese staff, in the club's own words, "a significant foundation for collaboration" rather than a rebuild from scratch.
