JERUSALEM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli footballer Eran Zahavi, twice top scorer of the Chinese Super League (CSL), will leave Maccabi Tel Aviv at the end of this season, the striker and the Israeli champions announced separately on Tuesday.

The decision to part ways was announced with two matches remaining in the Israeli Premier League season, with Hapoel Beer Sheva and Maccabi currently tied at the top with the same points and goal difference.

On Monday, 37-year-old Zahavi scored a hat-trick in Tel Aviv's 6-1 away win over Maccabi Netanya.

Zahavi played for Guangzhou R&F between 2016 and 2020, topping the CSL's scorers list in 2017 with 27 goals, and in 2019 with a then all-time league record of 29 goals.

He then played for PSV Eindhoven for two seasons, scoring 37 goals in all competitions and winning the 2022 Dutch Cup.

In 2022, he returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv, from whom he had left for China in 2016. In his last three seasons with Maccabi, he won the Israeli league championship last year, in addition to the three championship titles and one state cup he won with the club between 2013 and 2016.

Zahavi began his senior career in 2006 at Maccabi's bitter rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv, with whom he won one league championship and two state cups.

In 2011, he moved to Serie A side Palermo for an ultimately unsuccessful 18-month stint, after which he joined Maccabi.

His record includes 35 goals and 74 caps for the Israel national team. Throughout his career, he has scored 377 goals in 651 matches in all competitions.

Zahavi's final match with Maccabi will be against Beitar Jerusalem at Tel Aviv's Bloomfield Stadium on May 24, with the club holding a farewell ceremony in his honor before the match.

"I am thankful for the privilege of being a part of Maccabi Tel Aviv, which has made me the best, more than I ever dreamed," Zahavi wrote on social media. "I am grateful for the magical moments we have experienced together."

Maccabi's owner Mitch Goldhar said: "Eran is a special player and an even more special person, which is a testament to his professionalism, dedication, and talent that has seen him rise to the top of the game." ■