Desert diamond: Or Divan and the new dawn of Israeli women’s soccer

In the world of elite sports, there is a recurring discussion about the “phenomenon” – that unique athlete who arrives with a toolkit so complete that traditional developmental ladders seem like mere suggestions.

In Israeli women’s soccer, a field that has long struggled for resources and recognition, such a figure has emerged. Her name is Or Divan.

At 16, Divan is a rare talent in the local landscape, combining extraordinary physical resilience for her age with tactical versatility that allows her to excel in a variety of roles, both in defense and attack. She is gifted with phenomenal control of both feet and the ability to deliver powerful, precise strikes with either, a lethal weapon that makes her entirely unpredictable for opposing defenses.

Alongside these traits, her superb aerial game makes her a constant threat on high balls, completing the profile of a truly modern and well-rounded player.

A few weeks ago, she became one of the youngest players ever to be called up to the Israel national team squad.

This milestone occurred during the 2027 World Cup qualifiers. While the 5-0 defeat to Belgium served as a painful reminder of the chasm between local football and the European elite, Divan’s presence in the squad was the true headline. She didn’t just belong there; she looked like the inevitable result of a journey that began on the dusty pitches of the Negev.

The moment of the call-up remains etched in her memory as a whirlwind of emotions.

“When I received the official invitation from the Technical Director, Ester Sabag, my heart almost skipped a beat,”

Divan recalled with a wide smile. “It’s the kind of moment you dream about since the first time you lace up your boots. I was overcome with intense excitement, a mix of pure joy and the realization that all the hard work was starting to manifest on the biggest stage possible. I remember just taking a deep breath and thinking: This is it. This is where the real journey begins.”

Or Divan's upbringing and history with sports

Divan’s story doesn’t begin with a silver spoon, but with a ball and a group of boys in Beersheba. For years, the narrative of successful female footballers often began with them being “one of the guys.”

For Divan, this wasn’t just a cliché; it was a survival mechanism that shaped her physical and mental identity.

“I’ve known Or since she was 8 or 9,” said Idan Avraham, her personal coach and the man who saw the spark before it became a flame. “From the first moment, I saw that mentally, beyond her skills, she could reach these heights.”

Divan spent three critical, formative years playing in boys’ teams, a period she credits with her unique development.

“They allowed my body to develop in a way a female body rarely does at that age,” Divan explained, her voice carrying a maturity that belies her teenage years.

“They showed me my strengths and what I needed to strengthen to reach a certain level. In the boys’ game, there is no room for hesitation. If you aren’t fast, you’re bypassed. If you aren’t strong, you’re pushed aside. I learned to survive before I learned to shine.”

However, being a pioneer came with a price. In 2021, Divan faced blatant gender discrimination when lights were literally turned off during her training sessions at a local community center. The message was clear: you don’t belong here.

But Divan didn’t leave.

“It gave me the understanding that I can stand up to difficulties,” she reflected. “I reached a goal of being in the boys’ lineup, and I realized I couldn’t give up just because someone else found my presence inconvenient. I stayed in the dark until I found my own light.”

Her path was further shaped by figures like Ori Hikly, whose influence helped her understand that talent is just the entry fee. But as she outgrew the local scene in Beersheba, a strategic move was necessary to keep her trajectory vertical. This led her to the “Empire” of Israeli women’s soccer – M.S. Kiryat Gat.

The transition was the turning point in Divan’s professionalization. At the center of this move was Moshe Sabag, the formidable chairman of M.S. Kiryat Gat, a man known for his uncompromising standards and vision for the sport.

“When we brought Or to Kiryat Gat, we knew we weren’t just bringing in a talented girl; we were bringing in a future pillar of the club,” Sabag said. “In Kiryat Gat, we don’t just play football; we build athletes who can compete in Europe. Or fit that mold immediately. She has a ‘commander’s’ presence on the pitch, disciplined, focused, and always aware of the tactical structure. I saw a girl who was willing to travel, to sacrifice, and to push herself harder than anyone else in the room. Her move here wasn’t just about changing a jersey; it was about entering an environment where winning is the only option.”

Sabag’s influence as both a chairman and a tactical mentor provided Divan with the platform to dominate. Under his watch, the club became her laboratory.

“Moshe doesn’t give discounts,” Divan noted. “In Kiryat Gat, you are expected to be a professional 24/7. That pressure either breaks you or turns you into a diamond. For me, it provided the structure I needed to translate my goals into titles.”

While her feet are firmly planted in the grass, Divan’s heart often wanders to the man who is no longer there. Her late grandfather, Mathania Weiss, remains the spiritual North Star of her career. For Or, the connection is literal and skin-deep: she has a phrase he used to say to her permanently tattooed on her ribs.

“He was everything to me,” Divan shared. “Every goal, every call-up, it’s for him. Having his words on my ribs means he’s with me every time I breathe on the pitch.”

Her excellence, however, isn’t restricted to the white lines. Or’s father, Gil Divan, describes her as a “Renaissance woman.” Or is a straight-A student, balancing high-level academics with her grueling training. But her talents go even further: she is a gifted painter and a gourmet cook.

“Her cooking is actually better than her painting,” Gil joked. “She recently prepared a meal of Parmesan-stuffed mushrooms and lemon-zest pasta for a family event that was better than many restaurants. She approaches a recipe with the same clinical precision she uses to approach a goal.”

This drive for perfection led her to the President’s Residence at age nine. Bypassing a prepared speech, she looked President Isaac Herzog in the eye and said: “I want you to know I will represent women’s football in Israel to the whole world, and you will be proud of me”.

In a world obsessed with natural talent, Divan is a cold-blooded pragmatist. When asked about the “Messi vs Ronaldo” debate, Divan chose a sophisticated middle path.

“I believe in natural talent, but I believe in the balance between the two,” she said. “With natural talent but without hard work, we won’t achieve anything. And with hard work, but without talent... we won’t get where we want. You need that bit of natural talent, but without hard work, it’s worth nothing.”

This intensity manifests as a strange calmness on the pitch. Fans have noted that Divan rarely celebrates her goals.

“In important and meaningful games, I do celebrate,” she admitted. “But even then, it’s just for a few seconds, and then I immediately change the mode back to ‘as if nothing happened.’ Why don’t I celebrate? I think after the action of the goal, I just don’t have the energy anymore! The job is done; it’s time for the next one.”

The Israeli coaching elite is unanimous: Divan is a “statistical anomaly.” Menachem Koretzky, the national team head coach, said her call-up was a tactical necessity.

“She is built physically; she is tall and strong,” Koretzky noted. “I saw her play for Kiryat Gat against Hapoel Katamon, the biggest game of the season, and she dealt with experienced foreign players beautifully.”

Assaf Nimni, the assistant coach, was struck by her “mental architecture.”

“I was in shock when she told me her age,” Nimni recalled. “Her intelligence, her tactical understanding, it’s not ‘youth football’ level. She understands the requirements of the professional game.”

However, legendary coach Silvi Jean, who oversees the Under-19 national team, offers a more tempered perspective. Jean, who insisted on having Divan on her squad, warns against the “star” label too early.

“We need to be careful, to give her the quiet to develop,” Jean said. “The transition from youth to senior international football is a massive shock. But Or is tactically disciplined. She doesn’t take unnecessary risks, which I love to see. I truly believe I will be walking this path with her for many years to come. She isn’t just a talent; she’s a partner in the growth of this sport.”

For Arik Levy, the head coach of the Israel U-17 team, Divan is the undisputed leader.

“She is my captain for a reason,” Levy explains. “It’s not just because she scores 100 goals a year. It’s because she demands professionalism from her teammates just by the way she ties her cleats.”

The statistics from her recent seasons are nothing short of absurd. In the 2023/24 season, she recorded 87 goals and 47 assists in 40 matches. In 2024/25, the numbers reached a fever pitch: 110 goals (including her first for the national team) and 52 assists in 47 matches. Even as she moved into the senior ranks in 2025/26, she maintained elite production with 17 goals and 18 assists in just 30 matches.

OrDivan is not waiting for the future; she is designing it. She has already moved past the idea of the American college system, a traditional route for Israeli talent that she views as too slow.

“My goal is to be in England in the next two or three years”, Divan stated. “I want to break ground for Israeli players in places they haven’t reached. The WSL (Women’s Super League) is the best in the world right now. That’s where I want to be.”

As Anat Divan looks at her daughter, she sees more than just a footballer. She sees the girl who stayed on the pitch when the lights were turned off on her in Beersheba. She sees the straight-A student, the painter, and the chef.

“We are here to give her the envelope,” Anat said. “The rest is her talent and her soul. She knows what she wants, and she knows the price she has to pay to get there.”

Or Divan is racing forward. She does so with the memory of her grandfather in her heart, the grit of the Beersheba boys in her legs, and the future of Israeli women’s soccer on her shoulders.

The lights may have been turned off on her once, but today, the spotlights are fixed directly on her. And she has no intention of letting them fade. The girl with the braces and the killer instinct is no longer just a “prospect” – she is the message.

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