After four intensive days that included four matches, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv is heading back to Israel from the Ramljak Tournament. The young Yellow & Blue finished the competition in 5th place as they defeated the host Dinamo Zagreb, drew with Maribor and came up short against Real Madrid. However, the squad took home 5th place after disposing of Sarajevo 5:2 in their last game.

Right before the players and new Head Coach Ori Uzan begin their break, the brand new Maccabi “Shachar” Captain Tomer Altman spoke to the Official Website about the four days he experienced at the competition: “This was a tournament that was played at the highest level of football with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. This was our second year participating in the tourney and it definitely gave us some terrific experience. The matches were very different than a typical game we would play in Israel in many aspects and I’m sure that it will help us in the future.”

About how they stacked up against the competition:

“We were able to handle ourselves very well and we made progress as each match went by. There’s always a lot of discussion about the physical differences between the Israeli and European players, but I don’t think we saw such a huge gap. We kept up with them technically and we played quality football throughout the tournament, it was really an amazing experience.”

On Ori Uzan taking over the coaching reins:

“We have a new coach. I haven’t worked with him before but some of the guys who are part of the 1999 class have. I’ve only heard good things about him and from what I saw here in Croatia is that he is a professional in every sense of the word and knows how to approach the players. I believe we will have a good season under his direction.”

Being named the captain:

“It’s a huge honor to be named the captain of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Team and I’m very humbled. I hope that I can lead the club to a more successful campaign than last season. Our goal is to win titles and I hope that I can live up to the job and do it as best as possible by giving everything I have.”