Dia Saba (sometimes Sabi'a or Seba, Arabic: ضياء سبع, Hebrew: דיא סבע; born 18 November 1992) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for TFF 1. Lig club Amedspor.

Early life

Saba was born in Majd al-Krum, Israel, to a Muslim-Arab family. He is a cousin of former footballer Ahmad Saba'a.

Career

Saba began his career with the youth selections of Hapoel Haifa, and later moved to Beitar Nes Tubruk. In summer 2011, Saba joined Maccabi Tel Aviv and played under manager Motti Ivanir. However, he made only two appearances over four months, and in January 2012 was subsequently loaned to Hapoel Be'er Sheva until the end of the season. On 21 January 2012, Saba made his debut for Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and scored twice in a 2–0 victory over Hapoel Haifa, helping the club to stay in the league. He was then again loaned for half the season. In February 2013 he moved to Bnei Sakhnin, playing ten league matches and failing to score. Before the 2013–14 season, Saba signed with Maccabi Petah Tikva. The following season he signed a two-year contract with Maccabi Netanya. He played with Netanya for four years, scoring 51 goals in 114 appearances in all club competitions, including 24 league goals in the 2017–18 season.

On 17 September 2018, Saba returned to Be'er Sheva as Hapoel paid Maccabi Netanya a record transfer fee of €2 million. He signed a four-year contract with Be'er Sheva worth €1.6 million. He made his debut at home against Bnei Yehuda, in a goalless game. Saba scored his first goal for Be'er Sheva on 6 October 2018, in a 4–1 win over Maccabi Petah Tikva.

In January 2019, he moved to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F, linking up with fellow Israel national team striker Eran Zahavi.

In September 2020, Saba joined Al-Nasr, becoming the first Israeli to play in the United Arab Emirates following the Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement.

On 22 August 2022, Saba joined Turkish Süper Lig club Sivasspor.

On 30 January 2023, Saba signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Maccabi Haifa.

Career statistics

Club

As of 15 March 2025

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Maccabi Tel Aviv2011–12Israeli Premier League2000200040
Hapoel Be'er Sheva (loan)2011–121532000—173
2012–131501041—201
Total303304100374
Bnei Sakhnin (loan)2012–13Israeli Premier League1002100—121
Maccabi Petah Tikva2013–142934500—338
Maccabi Netanya2014–152940020—314
2015–16300000—30
2016–17Liga Leumit32171030—3617
2017–18Israeli Premier League34242121003826
2018–192000440064
Total10045311150011451
Hapoel Be'er Sheva2018–19Israeli Premier League1642100—185
Guangzhou R&F2019Chinese Super League261300——2613
202010510——115
Total36181000003718
Al-Nasr2020–21UAE Pro League246—51—297
2021–222511—42—2913
Total49170093005820
Sivasspor2022–23Süper Lig13510—61206
Maccabi Haifa2022–23Israeli Premier League1661100—177
2023–24320010102144
2024–2523152033203018
Total422331431226129
Emirates (loan)2023–24UAE Pro League7200—0072
Career total3341201993012183401144

International

Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Saba goal.

List of international goals scored by Dia Saba
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
114 October 2018Turner Stadium, Be'er Sheva, IsraelAlbania2–02–02018–19 UEFA Nations League C
215 November 2018Netanya Stadium, Netanya, IsraelGuatemala5–07–0Friendly
36–0

Honours

Maccabi Netanya

Maccabi Haifa

Individual

  • Israel Football Players Organization's Player of the Season: 2017–18
  • Israeli Premier League top scorer: 2017–18 (24 goals)

External links