Liel Abada’s Family: Wife, Children, Parents and Siblings

Last Updated on September 23, 2026 by Miguel Manjate

Liel Abada is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a winger for Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer and represents the Israel national team. Born on October 3, 2001, in Petah Tikva, Israel, Abada developed through Hapoel Petah Tikva and Maccabi Petah Tikva before moving to Celtic in 2021. After winning multiple trophies in Scotland, he joined Charlotte FC in March 2024 and has remained an important attacking player for the club.

Family has played a major role throughout Abada’s rise from a young player in Petah Tikva to an international footballer. His parents are Ronen and Lilach Abada, and he grew up as the middle of three children alongside his older sister, Shoval, and younger brother, Orel Abada. Liel is also married to his longtime partner, Bar Rashti, and the couple have a son named Yahli Abada.

Who Is Liel Abada’s Wife?

Liel Abada’s wife is Bar Rashti. Their relationship began around 2020, before Abada left Israel to begin his European career with Celtic.

Abada explained in a 2022 interview that he and Bar first connected through Instagram. She had seen him playing football and began following him, after which they started communicating and eventually entered a relationship.

When Abada moved to Scotland at just 19 years old, Bar became an important part of his support system. Because they were not yet married, immigration rules meant she could not live permanently with him in Glasgow, so she regularly traveled between Israel and Scotland.

Abada said at the time that Bar visited whenever possible and helped make sure he did not feel alone while living away from his parents for the first time.

Liel Abada and Bar Rashti’s Brief Separation

The couple reportedly experienced a short separation in 2022 before reconciling several months later.

The reconciliation proved lasting, and Bar continued supporting Abada throughout his Celtic career. She was photographed with him during celebrations after Celtic won major domestic trophies and remained part of his life when he later moved to the United States.

Liel Abada Proposed to Bar Rashti in Charlotte

Charlotte became the setting for an important milestone in the couple’s relationship.

In May 2024, only a few months after joining Charlotte FC, Abada proposed to Bar on a rooftop overlooking the Charlotte skyline. The proposal featured white flowers, a decorated walkway and a large “Marry Me” display.

Bar accepted, making the couple officially engaged after approximately four years together.

The moment also demonstrated how quickly Charlotte became important to Abada beyond football. He had arrived from Celtic seeking a new professional chapter, and within months the city became the place where he and Bar decided to take the next step in their relationship.

Liel Abada and Bar Rashti’s Wedding

Liel Abada and Bar Rashti married in November 2024 in Israel.

The wedding took place at Havvat Ronit and attracted numerous figures from Israeli football and sport. Bar and Liel celebrated with relatives, friends and football personalities after becoming engaged earlier that year in Charlotte.

The marriage completed a journey that had begun several years earlier when they first met online while Abada was still playing in Israel.

By the time of their wedding, Bar had supported Liel through his move to Celtic, his development into an Israel international, the difficult final months of his Scottish career and his relocation to Major League Soccer.

Liel Abada’s Children

Liel Abada and Bar Rashti have one publicly known child, a son named Yahli Abada.

Yahli Abada

Liel and Bar became parents for the first time after welcoming their son in early 2026.

The couple had publicly announced Bar’s pregnancy several months earlier. After the baby was born, they initially kept his name private while receiving suggestions from friends and followers.

Approximately a week after the birth, Liel and Bar held a small traditional naming and circumcision ceremony attended by close relatives and friends.

During the ceremony, the couple announced that their first son had been named Yahli Abada.

The birth represented another major personal milestone for Abada after his marriage in 2024. He had arrived in Charlotte as a young unmarried player and, within roughly two years, became both a husband and a father.

As of now, Yahli is the only child publicly confirmed for Liel and Bar Abada.

Who Are Liel Abada’s Parents?

Liel Abada is the son of Ronen Abada and Lilach Abada. The family lived in Petah Tikva and raised three children.

Israeli reporting has repeatedly described the Abadas as a hardworking family without the financial advantages sometimes associated with elite youth football.

Both parents worked long hours while supporting their children, and Liel’s early football development occasionally created significant additional expenses for the household.

Liel Abada’s Father: Ronen Abada

Liel Abada’s father is Ronen Abada. He played a particularly important role during Liel’s youth football career.

Israeli sports reporting described Ronen as a longtime warehouse worker for the food company Osem. One profile reported that he had worked there for approximately 30 years and regularly began work before sunrise.

Despite working full time, Ronen remained closely involved in his son’s football development.

Ronen Helped Liel Change Clubs as a Teenager

Abada began his youth career with Hapoel Petah Tikva, but the financial cost of remaining in the academy became difficult for the family.

When Liel was approximately 13, Ronen requested financial assistance that would allow his son to continue playing without placing such a heavy burden on the household.

After Hapoel Petah Tikva did not provide the arrangement the family wanted, Liel moved across the city to Maccabi Petah Tikva.

The transfer became one of the defining decisions of his career. Maccabi recognized Abada’s potential, provided greater support and eventually developed him into a first-team player who would be sold to Celtic.

Liel Abada’s Bar Mitzvah Trip to Barcelona

Ronen also appears in one of the best-known stories from Liel’s childhood.

During discussions with Maccabi Petah Tikva executive Shino Zuaretz, Ronen mentioned that his son dreamed of seeing Barcelona play in person but that the family could not comfortably afford such a trip.

Zuaretz decided to arrange and fund a family visit to Barcelona as a Bar Mitzvah present for the young player.

Ronen later described the experience as an unforgettable gift for Liel and the family.

The story illustrates the financial circumstances in which Abada developed and why his later success in professional football represented such a dramatic change for his household.

Liel Abada’s Mother: Lilach Abada

Liel Abada’s mother is Lilach Abada.

Israeli reporting states that Lilach worked in accounting at Osem, the same company where Ronen was employed.

Like her husband, Lilach maintained a relatively private public profile despite her son becoming one of Israel’s leading international footballers.

Abada has nevertheless regularly referred collectively to his family when discussing the people who supported him through major moves and difficult periods in his career.

That support became particularly important when he left home for the first time and moved to Glasgow as a 19-year-old.

Liel Abada Is the Middle of Three Children

Liel Abada grew up with two siblings. His older sister is Shoval Abada, while his younger brother is Orel Abada.

This makes Liel the middle child of Ronen and Lilach’s three children.

Unlike many football families where only one child pursues the sport seriously, football has also become important in Orel’s life.

Who Is Shoval Abada?

Shoval Abada is Liel’s older sister.

Her identity was confirmed in a detailed Israeli profile of the Abada family published during Liel’s successful period with Celtic.

Unlike her famous younger brother, Shoval has largely remained outside the public spotlight. Reliable sports reporting provides little information about her profession, education or private life.

This makes it appropriate to identify her as Liel’s older sister without adding unverified personal details from social media.

Who Is Orel Abada?

Orel Abada is Liel’s younger brother and has followed him into competitive football.

Orel spent part of his development within the Maccabi Petah Tikva youth system, the same club where Liel became a professional.

He later played in the Hapoel Ra’anana youth setup. Israeli Football Association records have listed Orel among Hapoel Ra’anana’s youth players, confirming that football remains part of the younger brother’s life.

Although Orel has not yet achieved the same professional profile as Liel, his participation in organized football creates a clear sporting connection between the two brothers.

How Liel Abada’s Family Supported His Football Career

The financial realities of youth football made the support provided by Ronen and Lilach particularly important.

Israeli coaches and executives who knew Liel during his development have described his parents as hardworking people who made significant sacrifices so their son could continue playing.

The family’s difficulty covering some youth-football expenses eventually contributed to the move from Hapoel Petah Tikva to Maccabi Petah Tikva.

That change ultimately transformed Liel’s future. He progressed through Maccabi’s academy, entered the senior team and became one of Israel’s most valuable young footballers.

By 2021, Celtic had paid millions of euros to sign him—a dramatic contrast with the family’s earlier struggles to cover monthly youth-football costs.

Liel Abada’s Move to Celtic and Leaving His Family

Celtic signed Abada in July 2021 when he was only 19 years old.

For the first time, he was living permanently away from his parents’ home in Petah Tikva.

Abada admitted that the adjustment was significant. His family remained in Israel, while Bar could only spend part of each year in Scotland because of visa restrictions.

Former Celtic teammate Nir Bitton and Bitton’s family became particularly important during that period, giving Abada a familiar Israeli support network in Glasgow.

Nevertheless, Liel remained in regular contact with Ronen, Lilach, his siblings and Bar through visits and video calls.

Bar Rashti Supported Liel During His Celtic Career

Bar became one of the most important people helping Abada adapt to life outside Israel.

In his 2022 interview, Liel explained that she traveled to Glasgow as frequently as possible and helped make his apartment feel more like home.

The couple appeared together at Celtic celebrations, including after the club’s successful 2022–23 season.

When Abada eventually left Celtic in March 2024, he specifically thanked both his family and his girlfriend for supporting him through what had become an emotionally difficult period.

Only a few months later, Bar became his fiancée.

Liel Abada’s Family and His Move to Charlotte FC

Charlotte FC acquired Abada from Celtic on March 7, 2024.

The move gave the young winger a fresh professional environment after more than two and a half seasons in Scotland.

Charlotte quickly became important to his personal life as well. It was there that he proposed to Bar, and the couple began preparing for marriage.

Abada established himself as a regular member of the Charlotte attack and continued building a life in the United States while remaining closely connected with relatives in Israel.

Marriage and Fatherhood During Liel Abada’s Charlotte Career

The Charlotte period has coincided with some of the biggest changes in Abada’s life away from football.

He became engaged in Charlotte in May 2024, married Bar in Israel that November and later welcomed their first son, Yahli.

The sequence transformed his family situation considerably in a relatively short period. The teenager who had left his parents’ home to join Celtic in 2021 had become a married father while still in his mid-20s.

Abada has remained active for Charlotte FC during the 2026 season and continues to represent the club as one of its attacking options.

How Important Is Family to Liel Abada?

Family support appears repeatedly throughout Abada’s career story.

Ronen and Lilach worked and sacrificed financially while he was developing. His siblings were part of the Petah Tikva household in which he grew up, while Bar provided companionship when he moved abroad.

Abada explicitly thanked his family and partner when leaving Celtic, describing their support as an important source of strength during a difficult period.

His marriage to Bar and the birth of Yahli have now given him a family of his own while his professional career continues in Charlotte.

Frequently Asked Questions About Liel Abada’s Family

Who is Liel Abada’s wife?

Liel Abada’s wife is Bar Rashti. The couple began dating around 2020, became engaged in Charlotte in May 2024 and married in November 2024.

How did Liel Abada meet Bar Rashti?

Abada has said that he and Bar first connected through Instagram. She began following him after seeing him play football, and their conversations eventually developed into a relationship.

Does Liel Abada have children?

Yes. Liel Abada and Bar Rashti have one publicly known child, a son named Yahli Abada.

Who is Liel Abada’s son?

Liel and Bar’s first son is named Yahli Abada. The couple publicly announced his name during a small family ceremony after his birth.

Who are Liel Abada’s parents?

Liel Abada’s parents are Ronen Abada and Lilach Abada. They raised Liel and his two siblings in Petah Tikva, Israel.

Who is Liel Abada’s father?

Liel Abada’s father is Ronen Abada. Israeli reporting describes him as a longtime warehouse worker at Osem who was closely involved in important decisions during Liel’s youth football career.

Who is Liel Abada’s mother?

Liel Abada’s mother is Lilach Abada. She worked in accounting at Osem and has generally maintained a private profile.

Does Liel Abada have siblings?

Yes. Liel has two siblings: an older sister named Shoval and a younger brother named Orel.

Who is Orel Abada?

Orel Abada is Liel’s younger brother and a footballer. He has played youth football for clubs including Maccabi Petah Tikva and Hapoel Ra’anana.

Who is Shoval Abada?

Shoval Abada is Liel’s older sister. She has remained largely outside the public spotlight.

Where is Liel Abada’s family from?

The Abada family is closely associated with Petah Tikva, Israel, where Liel was born and raised.

What club does Liel Abada play for?

Liel Abada plays for Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer. He joined the club from Celtic in March 2024 and remains part of Charlotte’s squad in 2026.