Reuven Atar (רְאוּבֵן עטר; born
January 3 1969) is a former
Israeli football player, and currently manager of Israeli football club
Beitar Jerusalem.
Early years
A first generation
Israeli to
Moroccan immigrants who settled in
Tirat Carmel. He grew up in the youth system of
Maccabi Haifa and is considered one of the greatest all time players to don the Haifa kit.
His Professional Career
After playing in Maccabi Haifa for eight seasons, winnig with the club three championships, once the
Toto Cup and two trophies, once as a
Double, he moved to the second greatest club in
Haifa -
Hapoel Haifa. In Hapoel Haifa he played for four seasons before moving to
Beitar Jerusalem. In Beitar he played only one match before getting injured and being unable to play during the whole season. After one season in Jerusalem he moved to
Hapoel Petah Tikva and played there for one season before moving back to Hapoel Haifa and then moving during the season back to Beitar Jerusalem where he became one of the loved players by the club's fans. in 2000 he returned to Maccabi Haifa, winning two championships with the club but left a the 2002/03 season to
Maccabi Netanya.
Coaching career
During the season in Netanya he was injured and decided to retire from playing football and was employed as the assistant of the coach in Netanya, first of
Gili Landau and later on of
Eli Cohen. At the end of the 2003/04 season, after Cohen has left the club, Atar was chosen to be the club's head-coach but the club was relegated at the end of that season to the second league in Israel, "Liga Leumit". Atar remained in his position and helped the club return to the Premier League after only one season. Atar then stayed the club's coach but was sent home by the new manager,
Eyal Berkovich at the year 2006, so Atar moved to be the coach of
Maccabi Herzliya but was sent home after 8 matches only before returning to Netanya a few months later and taking the club to the
UEFA Cup Qaulifying rounds from the second place in the League Table.
He was dismissed from Netanya coaching position after they signed
Lothar Matthäus.
In September 2008, he signed for
Beitar replacing
Shum.