Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC honoured long-serving captain Avi Nimni on Saturday as the 36-year-old made a final substitute appearance against Maccabi Petach-Tikva FC.

The midfielder came on for the closing seconds of a 2-1 win in the club's final home game of the season to bring the curtain down on his 18-year playing career at Bloomfield Stadium. Nimni won four league titles with Maccabi – in 1992, 1995, 1996, 2003 – and four State Cups; he retires having scored 194 goals in 429 league appearances – 379 for Maccabi and 50 for Beitar Jerusalem FC.

The midfielder also scored 17 goals in 80 national team games, and was Israel captain under Avram Grant. He briefly played abroad with both Club Atlético de Madrid and Derby County FC but is now back in Israel, where he has taken on a new role as Maccabi's general manager. The only club in Israel never to be relegated, sixth-placed Maccabi have yet to secure their top-flight status.