Article by George Nistor – Published Friday, January 16, 2026, 5:23 p.m. / Updated Friday, January 16, 2026, 5:25 p.m.
Ofri Arad (27 years old) is expected by FCSB at the medical visit after giving his consent for the final transfer. The last time in the shirt of Kairat Almaty, with whom he played in the Champions League, the central defensive midfielder is seen by Gigi Becali as the perfect replacement for Adrian Șut, who left for Al-Ain.
Raised in Israel, at the academy of Maccabi Haifa, the player also has German citizenship, by descent, a relatively common aspect in the case of Israeli footballers, especially from the younger generations. Discreet, deeply religious and away from the limelight, his profile becomes a very interesting one for the Superliga.
Arad built his career without scandalous episodes, public conflicts and statements that would take him out of the mold of the professional footballer.
Ofri Arad, close to religion and family
The midfielder belongs to the category of players who do not seek validation in the media space and avoid exposing their private lives. Coming from a faithful family, Ofri Arad is very careful about how he manages his image and devotes much of his free time to his family.
He is married to Shani Berger, a lawyer and the founder of an academy for law students, and the two have a daughter together.
The Israeli never speaks publicly of faith or displays it demonstratively. However, from the way he controls his appearances and the lack of excesses, the profile of a disciplined personality, who lives according to clear rules, emerges.
20,000 eurosper month will be collected by Ofri Arad at FCSB. The Israeli will sign for two and a half years with FCSB and will be paid a total of 900,000 euros, including an installation bonus.
Ofri Arad, the future player of FCSB
Player profile. It is neither Radoi nor Bourceanu
If at the end of last year Gigi Becali was looking for a recovery player in the center of the field, an example being Alexandru Bourceanu, the financier from FCSB switched, after only a few weeks, to the search for another midfielder profile, like Mirel Rădoi.
“I had another Portuguese one, who was Mirel Rădoi's style. But Meme said, 'Hey, Gigi, it's like God sent him'. I accepted for 500,000 euros, and when I talked about him they asked for double the amount. But this one is much better, and free, and Jewish. Now I've seen him. I can see his physicality,” said the boss at the beginning of the week.
Ofri Arad is far from the typologies of the two, even Adrian Șut's.
Map of Ofri Arad's areas of action. Photo generated in the Wyscout platform
From a tactical point of view, he is a player of simple solutions, clearly oriented towards foot play and safe construction. He is not a dribbler, nor does he look for unnecessary one-on-one duels. He prefers passing to the side, opening up play and maintaining possession at a controlled pace.
He has moments where he advances with the ball at his feet without forcing the progression. He times well, turns the play around when he feels the passing line is blocked and rarely loses the ball on hasty decisions.
1.2 million eurosis the market share of Ofri Arad, according to the specialized portal Transfermarkt.com
In the match against Inter, he had one of the most solid performances, managing to restore balance to his team. He is not a classic rebounder and does not excel at tackling, but he makes up for it with anticipation and reading the game.
Aerial play isn't his forte in staging, even if it does appear at completion and he doesn't shy away from duels. When the game opens up and the opponent puts pressure, Arad does not hesitate to send long.
He prefers wider spaces, needs multiple touches to build the phase and plays mostly without forcing verticals. When he senses danger, he chooses the simple solution, including high clearance.
Ofri Arad scored at San Siro. Photo: Imago
Statistics of Ofri Arad in the first league of Kazakhstan, season 2025
|
Parameter (average/90 min) |
Indicator |
|---|---|
|
Total Actions/Successes |
70/74.3% |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Shots/on goal |
1.39/14.3% |
|
Passes/Accuracy |
49.81/85.8% |
|
Dribbles/Successes |
1.14/43.5% |
|
Duels/wins |
13.3/57.5% |
|
Aerial duels/won |
2.23/57.8% |
|
interception |
3.42 |
|
Losses/own half |
9.43/32.6% |
|
Recoveries/own half |
8.73/44.9% |
He is no stranger to Bucharest
Bucharest is not a completely new territory for the player who evolved for three years in Kazakhstan. Ofri also visited the capital of Romania before the transfer to FCSB, which is also visible on his social media accounts.
He also has friends in Bucharest, including from close family circles, an aspect that could matter in the adaptation process.
In the center of the image, in a red and white jacket, Ofri Arad, with friends, in Revolution Square
At Kairat, it was an important time for me. I grew as a player and as a professional. I want to continue playing in Europe and stay in competitive football.
– Ofri Arad, central midfielder
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During his career, Arad played for Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Ramat Gan and Kairat Almaty. He has five championship titles to his credit, three in Israel and two in Kazakhstan, all won in the last five years.
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In the current European season, Arad scored in the match against Inter, in the Champions League, won by the Italians 2-1, in Milan. For Israel's first national team, he collected ten selections.
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For Israel's first national team, he collected ten selections
