Gadi Kinda

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Gadi Kinda

| image =

| full_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1994|3|23}}{{UEFA player|250055965}}

| birth_place = Addis Ababa, Ethiopia{{cite web | url=http://www.nrg.co.il/online/71/ART2/266/268.html | title=ראשי }}{{cite web | url=https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/71/ART2/266/268.html | title=ערוץ ליגת על - חדשות NRG - ברוך הבא: סיפורו של גדי קינדה }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportingkc.com/players/gadi-kinda|title=Gadi Kinda | Sporting Kansas City}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|05|20|1994|3|23|df=y}}

| death_place = Tel Aviv, Israel

| height = 1.73 m

| position = Attacking midfielder

| youthyears1 = 2003–2014

| youthclubs1 = Ashdod

| years1 = 2011–2019

| clubs1 = Ashdod

| caps1 = 160

| goals1 = 12

| years2 = 2019–2021

| clubs2 = Beitar Jerusalem

| caps2 = 26

| goals2 = 8

| years3 = 2020

| clubs3 = → Sporting Kansas City (loan)

| caps3 = 20

| goals3 = 6

| years4 = 2021–2023

| clubs4 = Sporting Kansas City

| caps4 = 46

| goals4 = 8

| years5 = 2024–2025

| clubs5 = Maccabi Haifa

| caps5 = 45

| goals5 = 2

| totalcaps = 297

| totalgoals = 36

| nationalyears1 = 2011–2012

| nationalteam1 = Israel U18

| nationalcaps1 = 5

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2012

| nationalteam2 = Israel U19

| nationalcaps2 = 8

| nationalgoals2 = 2

| nationalyears3 = 2013–2016

| nationalteam3 = Israel U21

| nationalcaps3 = 16

| nationalgoals3 = 1

| nationalyears4 = 2021–2024

| nationalteam4 = Israel

| nationalcaps4 = 10

| nationalgoals4 = 2

}}

Gadi Kinda ({{langx|he|גדי קינדה}}; 23 March 1994 – 20 May 2025) was an Israeli professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Born in Ethiopia, he played 10 caps with the Israel national team.

Early life

Kinda was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to an Ethiopian-Jewish family. At the age of three, he immigrated to Israel with his family. At age 9, He joined football club Ashdod, which he made his professional debut in 2011, at age 17.

Club career

From the age of 17, Kinda played for F.C. Ashdod in the Israeli Premier League and stayed with the club for eight years.

In February 2019, he moved to Beitar Jerusalem.{{cite web|url=http://www.beitarfc.co.il/%D7%A7%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%A8-%D7%9C%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%9B%D7%91%D7%99-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94-%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%99-%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%95%D7%93-%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%90%D7%A1-%D7%95/|title=קלינגר לקראת מכבי חיפה: אני מאוד אתבאס ואתאכזב אם לא נגיע לפלייאוף העליון|publisher=Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|date=7 February 2019|accessdate=19 February 2019|archive-date=20 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220002902/http://www.beitarfc.co.il/%D7%A7%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%A8-%D7%9C%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%9B%D7%91%D7%99-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%94-%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%99-%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%95%D7%93-%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%90%D7%A1-%D7%95/|url-status=dead}}

In January 2020, Kinda joined Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City on a one-year loan deal with an option to buy.{{cite web|url=https://www.sportingkc.com/post/2020/01/23/sporting-kc-acquires-25-year-old-israeli-central-midfielder-gadi-kinda-loan-beitar|title=Sporting KC acquires 25-year-old Israeli central midfielder Gadi Kinda on loan from Beitar Jerusalem|website=sportingkc.com|date=23 January 2020|accessdate=23 January 2020}} He made his debut on 29 February, and scored in a 3–1 win away to the Vancouver Whitecaps.{{cite news |title=Vancouver Whitecaps 1, Sporting Kansas City 3 |url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/vancouver-whitecaps-1-sporting-kansas-city-3-2020-mls-match-recap |access-date=21 May 2025 |publisher=Major League Soccer |date=1 March 2020}} Following the 2020 season, Kinda was signed permanently by Sporting Kansas City.{{cite news |title=Sporting exercises contracts on Dia, Hernandez, Kinda, Russell, Smith |url=https://www.foxsports.com/kansas-city/story/sporting-kansas-city-exercises-contracts-on-amadou-dia-felipe-hernandez-gadi-kinda-johnny-russell-graham-smith-120920 |access-date=April 22, 2021 |work=Fox Sports |date=December 9, 2020}}

Sporting Kansas City declared that Kinda would miss the entire 2022 season due to a procedure to rebuild his right knee cartilage. His spots as a senior player and international were vacated for another player to fill, and some of his financial value was deducted from the team's salary cap, but his spot as a designated player could not be transferred.{{cite news |last1=Sperry |first1=Daniel |title=More bad news for Sporting KC: midfielder Gadi Kinda will miss remainder of MLS season|url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/soccer/sporting-kc/article260906547.html |access-date=21 May 2025 |work=The Kansas City Star |ref=29 April 2022}} Following the 2023 season, Kinda left Kansas City and returned to Israel to join Maccabi Haifa.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/gadi-kinda-departs-sporting-kc-for-israeli-club|title=Gadi Kinda departs Sporting KC for Israeli club | MLSSoccer.com|website=mlssoccer}}

International career

Kinda made his debut for the senior Israel national team on 5 June 2021 in a friendly match against Montenegro. He substituted Manor Solomon in the 73rd minute and scored on his debut in added time to establish a final score of 3–1 for Israel.{{cite web|publisher=ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/lineups?gameId=593730|title=Montenegro v Israel game report|date=5 June 2021}}

Personal life and death

Kinda had a wife and two daughters. In May 2025, Maccabi Haifa announced that Kinda had been suffering from a complicated medical issue. On 20 May, he died from complications arising therefrom. Kinda was 31.{{cite web|publisher=mynet|url=https://haifa.mynet.co.il/sports/article/b1314g511xl|title=הלך לעולמו שחקן מכבי חיפה גדי קינדה|date=20 May 2025}}

Career statistics

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
class="wikitable"
1.	5 June 2021	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	{{fb\|MNE}}	align=center\|3–1	align=center\| 3–1	Friendly
2.	21 November 2023	Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra	{{fb\|AND}}	align=center\|2–0	align=center\| 2–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying