 Shmuel Rosenthal in 1968 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1947-04-22)22 April 1947 (age 77) | ||
| Place of birth | Petah Tikva, Israel[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1965–1972 | Hapoel Petah Tikva[2] | 201 | (7) |
| 1972–1973 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 13 | (1) |
| 1973–1976 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 90 | (4) |
| 1976–1978 | Beitar Tel Aviv | ||
| 1978 | Oakland Stompers | 18 | (0) |
| 1979 | Beitar Tel Aviv | ||
| 1980–1983 | Hapoel Lod | ||
| International career | |||
| 1965–1973 | Israel | 34 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1981–1983 | Hapoel Lod (player-manager) | ||
| 1983–1984 | Hapoel Lod | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Shmuel Rosenthal (Hebrew:שמואל רוזנטל, also known asSam Rosenthal, born 22 April 1947) is an Israeli former internationalfootballer. With Israel he participated in the Olympic Games of 1968 and the World Cup 1970. When he moved fromHapoel Petah Tikva to the German clubBorussia Mönchengladbach in 1972 he became the first Israeli professional hired by a European club.
Rosenthal commenced his career 1965 with the Israeli first division sideHapoel Petah Tikva. Already in the same year he debuted with theIsrael national football team. With Israel he took part in the1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico. In Mexico the team reached the quarterfinals, where the side held Bulgaria to a 1–1 draw after extra time. The match was eventually decided for Bulgaria by drawing of a lot, as penalty shootouts had not yet been introduced.
With Israel he alsoqualified for the1970 World Cup in Mexico via a walkover against North Korea, which refused to play in Israel and the Oceanian teams of New Zealand and Australia. There Rosenthal participated in all three matches of his team. Israel initially lost to Uruguay, but managed to hold Sweden and the later finalist Italy to draws.
Altogether Rosenthal played 30 times for his country, scoring once. Including matches in the context of Olympic tournaments and the like his tally here rises to 43 matches and two goals.[3] A contemporary of his in the Israeli sides of this era wasMordechai Spiegler, who is considered one of the greatest players of all times of his country.
In 1972, Rosenthal joined the then reigning German championsBorussia Mönchengladbach, becoming the first professional Israeli player finding an engagement in Europe. In the first half of the season he played for the club in 13Bundesliga matches, scoring one goal, and a number ofUEFA Cup matches. By the end of the season the club ended the league as fifth, but won theDFB-Pokal and reached the finals of the UEFA Cup. With Mönchengladbach, Rosenthal played mainlylibero, a position he filled "often somewhat too careless", according to the chronicles of the club.[4]
In 1973, he returned to Hapoel Petah Tikva. In 1976, he switched toBeitar Tel Aviv, before moving in 1978 to theOakland Stompers in the then fashionableNorth American Soccer League, which in that era featured some well known stars from Europe and South America.
In 1979, he returned to Israel as he returned to play for Beitar Tel Aviv. Later on he moved toHapoel Lod there he finished his career in 1983 and became the club's manager for a short period of time.
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