One of Maccabi's greatest ever goalkeepers, Haim Levine, is today celebrating his 78th birthday
Maccabi Tel Aviv Football club have had their share of great goalkeepers, but without question one of the greatest ever to guard the Maccabi net was Haim Levine, who today is celebrating his 78th birthday.
Haim "Haimke" Levine was born in March 1937 and joined Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1960/61 season after short stints at Hapoel Petah Tikva, Hapoel Hadera, Hapoel Kfar Saba and Maccabi Haifa. Levine, one of Maccabi Tel Aviv's biggest goalkeepers (in all senses of the word) made 16 appearances in his first season while competing with another great Maccabi goalkeeper – Aharon Sherstinsky – for the first choice keeper's position at the club. Levine took over the goalkeeping chores from yet another acclaimed Maccabi goalkeeper, Avraham Bendori, who retired about a year before Levine arrived at the club.
Levine earned his first title with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1963/64 season after their victory in the second Israel Football Association (IFA) Cup final replay against Hapoel Haifa. The following season Maccabi won the Cup again, this time courtesy of an outstanding performance by Levine who repelled repeated attempts on goal by Bnei Yehuda forwards that handed Maccabi a 2-1 victory. Levine spent nine years between the Maccabi goalposts and in addition to the two consecutive IFA Cups in '64 and '65, Levine also won an additional Cup, one league championship and the Asian Club Championship Cup in the 1968/69 season. The final against the South Korean side Yang Chi went into extra time and Levine kept a clean sheet throughout the entire 120 minutes, as striker Dror Bar Nur's 112th minute goal saw Maccabi raise the much coveted Asian Club Championship Cup at the end of the competition.
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Even after Levine's tenure at Maccabi Tel Aviv he was remembered as one of the best goalkeepers in Maccabi Tel Aviv's history. His powerful build and uncompromising defensive play were just two aspects of his preventative skills as goalkeeper; he was also capable of spectacular saves and controlling balls coming in at height. Levine made his maiden appearance for the Israeli national team in a 5-0 loss to Brazil and played in all the team's games at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico in 1968. In all Levine was capped 22 times for his country.
picture courtesy of the Israel Football Association archives
