Israeli pop star Noa Kirel and her partner Daniel Peretz, a goalkeeper for Israel's national soccer team and the German club Bayern Munich, have gotten engaged, the two announced in a Friday post on Instagram.
The post, which featured Kirel's hand wearing a ring on top of Peretz's, was shared with Kirel's 1.8 million followers and Peretz's 149 thousand followers.
"Forever," Kirel wrote in the post.
The newly engaged couple are both in their twenties, as Kirel is 23, and Peretz is 24.
I am happy and excited
Minutes after the initial Instagram post, Noa's brother, Niv Kirel, shared a video capturing the family celebrations. Daniel Peretz told Walla Celebs, "I am happy and excited."
Kirel and Peretz's relationship began just weeks after Kirel ended her year-and-a-half relationship with model Tomer Cohen.
In an interview with Ulpan Shishi last March, Kirel offered a glimpse into their intriguing relationship.
"Daniel is in Munich, his career is here, and it's a 24/7 career, so suddenly I have to adjust to someone else's schedule, which has never happened to me before. It's very new for me," Kirel said. "But there's something nice about it. Suddenly, I go to the supermarket or stroll through shops when I'm here. These are things I can't really do in Israel, so it's nice, but after a few days, I'm like... 'Get to know me.'"
Regarding her connection to soccer, Kirel said, "I’m still trying to understand it. It’s complicated." She added, "I remember one of our first dates, I said something like, 'They’re looking for the yellow.' He asked me what 'yellow' meant. For him, yellow was Maccabi."
Responding to the criticism they received at the start of their relationship, Kirel said, "When I begin a relationship, people claim it's not real and just for publicity. How can anyone say that? I don't feel the need to justify myself; these are my life choices. I do what makes me happy and what I feel at peace with, and ultimately, that matters most."
"If you had asked me a year ago if I would be in a long-distance relationship, I would have laughed," Kirel shared. "Because I really love warmth and affection and having people around me all the time. That's also what I was used to. But I believe when it's right and when it's good, it doesn't really matter."
About two months ago, on Peretz's birthday, Kirel posted a birthday message on Instagram, writing, "Happy birthday to my best friend. You're everything to me."
Peretz responded, "Thank you, love of my life. You're my whole world."