David Yair Keltjens (or Klatins,[1] Hebrew: דוד יאיר קלטינס; born 11 June 1995) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or as a defender for St Johnstone.
.jpg) Keltjens with Beitar Jerusalem in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Yair Keltjens | ||
| Date of birth | 11 June 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Mevaseret Zion, Israel | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, defender[citation needed] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | St Johnstone | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2015 | Beitar Jerusalem | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2019 | Beitar Jerusalem | 113 | (4) |
| 2019–2022 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 60 | (2) |
| 2022–2024 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 23 | (0) |
| 2024– | St Johnstone | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013 | Israel U-18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Israel U-19 | 7 | (0) |
| 2016 | Israel U-21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2017 | Israel | 6 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 May 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 October 2017 | |||
Early and personal life
Keltjens was born in Mevaseret Zion, Israel; to his father Yossi Keltjens who is of Dutch origin; and to his mother Flori (née Ben-Harush) who is of Moroccan Jewish descent and hails from the neighborhood of Katamon in Jerusalem, Israel.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] He has a sister named Emily, and a brother named Michael.[8] His late maternal grandfather was also a footballer in Morocco.[6][9] He was enlisted and served in the Israel Defense Forces.[5][10][9]
He also holds a Dutch passport, which eases the move to certain European football leagues.[11][12][5][6]
He has been in a relationship with his Israeli girlfriend Yael Alexandra Gold since 2021.[13][14][15]
Club career
Beitar Jerusalem
From age 6 to 8, Keltjens was part of the Hapoel Tel Aviv Youth Academy.[6] At the age of 12, he joined the Beitar Jerusalem youth system, where he eventually also made his senior debut for the senior club of Beitar Jerusalem in an Israeli Premier League away match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, which ended in a 2–4 victory for his team; on 26 October 2015.[16]
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
On 25 June 2019, he signed with Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Be'er Sheva for five years.[17]
On 9 January 2024, Keltjens signed for Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone on a deal until the end of the season.[18]
International career
On 6 November 2016, Keltjens was first called up to the senior Israel national team, ahead of their match against Albania.[19] On 24 March 2017, he made his senior international debut, coming on as a 60th minute substitute against Spain in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) away match that ended in a 2–4 defeat for his native Israel.[20]
Honours
Club
- Hapoel Be'er Sheva