It’s not every day that an MLS club offers to pay 1.2 million euros for an Israeli player and triple his salary. Vancouver was willing to do a little bit of everything to annex the Stay in Ribo, but in the end Wolfsberger did not agree to release him and the deal fell through. The striker, as he was throughout his career, did not lower his head. He sincerely believes that the cliché “everything happens for the best”, is really true. There is someone who directs his way. As someone who lost his mother at a young age after an illness and paved his way with ten fingers, through hard work and with the support of his close family, he is convinced that his time will come to play in a higher league than the Austrian league and continue to fulfill more dreams.
With each passing year, Bribo made another leap forward. He finished last season in Wolfsburg with 11 goals in the league. This season he already has 12, and there are still enough games to add a few more. If you calculate all the frameworks, including in Europe and the national team, then Bribo already has 22 goals, of which 19 in the team, which experienced a difficult season. She finished in the bottom of the playoffs, fired the coach, and still, the Israeli striker is third in the scorers table and scored more than 30 percent of the team’s total goals and was involved in more than 50 percent of them.
“If Bribo played in Salzburg or even Rapid Vienna or Sturm Graz, he would already have over 20 goals. He has everything a striker needs. Strength, getting out of the spot, orientation in the area and a passion to score goals,” says the Austrian journalist Christoph Nister From the country’s largest newspaper “Kruna”, “It’s hard to imagine what would have happened to Wolfsberger if he hadn’t been there. Any other player who had such a high financial offer would have put his head down or caused problems, but Bribo is probably something special and that’s why he is very loved there “.
Until the last campaign, Bribo was not included in the Israeli national team. Willy Rothensteiner and Andy Herzog didn’t refer to him, but the moment Yossi Benyon was appointed, everything changed. Under interim coach Gadi Bromer he was called up, but under Alon Hazan he became a central player and the numbers are great. 3 goals in 7 appearances, with one memorable goal against Albania on the way to the promotion playoffs in the Nations League. The current campaign, the qualifiers for Euro 2024, Bribo no longer starts as a rookie, but as a proven player also in the national uniform.
What made him so was, as mentioned, that night on 9/24/22. Six minutes on the field was enough for him to score one of the most important goals in recent years for our team, and suddenly overnight, he increased the number of followers on social networks, became a sought-after interviewee and, despite everything, remained with his feet on the ground. Someone who from the age of 10 flew alone from Eilat to training at Maccabi Petah Tikva and would live in a room in his personal coach’s house in order to succeed in football, only looks at the glass half full and doesn’t let things get in the way.
He puts on tefillin, eats kosher, often goes to the gym with his girlfriend Linoi, who lives with him in Wolfsberg. Benyon already had a crush on him when they played together in Maccabi Pat and made it clear even then to anyone who wanted to hear that he would go far.
Meanwhile, Monas Davor retired, Eran Zahavi froze himself and thus found himself in Ribo, Hazan’s man in the attack together with Shawn Weissman. He sleeps with Manor Solomon in the same room and the two have been in touch since the time they played at Avi Luzon’s. Who would have believed that three players who grew up in Maccabi Pat would lead the front of the team? “Abda Solomon and Bribo are a winning trio that will lead us to the Euros,” he said Avi Luzon. Meanwhile, Abda is injured, but the team is still building on him for the rest of the campaign.
“Nobody’s place here is guaranteed. The fact that I’m here, I already have to say thank you,” said Bribo before the games against Zambia and Cyprus, and it is precisely this attitude that Banyon and Hazan want to instill. That players want to be in the team, know how to be grateful, make an effort to stay and not take anything for granted.
Wolfsberger is not considered, as mentioned, a large group in Austria, and the city, to put it mildly, is not a great bargain either. Hardly any restaurants, an hour’s drive from Graz, two hours and a bit from Vienna. However, there is no cinema, not even taxis and the weather is colder than almost all of Austria, and still, on the professional side, Bribo has improved. This is probably how it is when you play in the league from which players come to senior leagues such as Spain, Germany or Italy and especially when you see the pace, the physicality and the speed, especially the mental.
Even if he starts against Kosovo or not, Bribo is no longer a question mark for the Israel national team. In the summer of 2024, he will become a free agent, and if Wolfsberger goes down or not, the Austrians also understand that this is the moment to make a few pounds on him. At 25 years old, Briveau has no intention of stopping. A rise to the Euro, or even a few more goals on the international level and offers will flow, not only from the MLS, but from top leagues in Europe. For years he waited for an opportunity in the national team and it arrived. The next opportunity will also come soon.
