Rafi Levi (22 February 1938 – 25 February 2021[1]) was an Israeli footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his career in Maccabi Tel Aviv.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 February 1938 | ||
| Place of birth | Holon, Mandatory Palestine | ||
| Date of death | 25 February 2021 (aged 83) | ||
| Place of death | Israel | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1954–1960 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 96 | (56) |
| 1960 | Highlands Park | ||
| 1960–1961 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1 | (0) |
| 1961–1963 | Sydney Hakoah | ||
| 1964–1965 | Highlands Park | ||
| 1965–1966 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 7 | (5) |
| 1966–1972 | Highlands Park | ||
| 1973 | Hapoel Ra'anana | ||
| International career | |||
| 1958–1960 | Israel national team | 16 | (9) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Football career
editRafi Levi won the Season Top Scorer award twice. First in the 1957–58 season with 19 goals and the second time around during the 1959–60 season with 15 goals. He also was among the top players leading Maccabi Tel Aviv to two championships and in the 1955–56 and 1957–58 seasons, and two Israeli State Cups (1958 and 1959). Later he played in Australia and South Africa, and retired from football in 1972.[1]
Levi made 17 appearances in Israel national team. One of the best games was the victory over the Yugoslavia in the 1960 Summer Olympics qualification. In the game Levi scored two goals and was considered one of the heroes (along with the Israeli goalkeeper Ya'akov Hodorov). This victory, one of the most surprising in the history of Israeli football, caused a great wave of elation among Israeli sports fans.[1]
Honours
edit- Israeli Championship: 1955–56, 1957–58
- State Cup: 1955, 1958, 1959
- National South African Championship: 1960, 1964, 1966, 1968
- South African Cup: 1965, 1966, 1967
- New South Wales Federation Championship: 1961, 1962
- New South Wales Federation Cup: 1961, 1963