Liel Abada, born in Petah Tikva, Israel, on 3 October 2001 (age 24), came through at Maccabi Petah Tikva and made his name early. A compact right winger at 5ft 6in (1.68m), he was already productive before leaving home, with his strongest league return coming in 2020-21: 12 goals in 36 appearances.
Celtic brought him to Glasgow in July 2021 for around £3.5m. He arrived young, direct and useful rather than polished, and over nearly three seasons gave the side pace, goals and a regular threat from the right. His time at Celtic brought two Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups – a tidy haul for a player still in the early part of his career.
In March 2024 he left Celtic for Charlotte FC in a deal worth around £6m. The move took him into MLS, where he has continued mainly on the right wing and wears number 11. He has remained part of the first-team picture, with 20 MLS appearances and five goals, plus two MLS Cup play-off appearances, for 22 appearances and five goals across all competitions for Charlotte.
Abada’s career has already taken him from Petah Tikva to Celtic and on to Charlotte, with honours in Scotland and a continuing role in MLS. He is still developing, but he has enough senior football behind him now to be judged as more than a prospect.
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