Uri Malmilian’s illustrious career turned him into one of the greatest footballers in Israel’s history and this year the legendary attacking midfielder was awarded one of the highest honors. Malmilian will light one of the Torches at the Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day Ceremony at Har Herzl in Jerusalem. In his honor, we’ve decided to look back at some of his finest moments in a Maccabi Tel Aviv uniform.
Malmilian was one of the most important figures in Beitar Jerusalem’s history but made his way to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the summer of 1989 to help the Club regain some of its glory days. The Yellow & Blue President at the time Danny Laufer made two significant moves to aid the Club as he brought in both Malmilian and Avi Cohen The Jerusalemite who had both starred for capital city side. Not only did the two arrive at Maccabi as stop players but also as veterans who would be able to help the younger generation turn into stars in their own right such as Avi Nimni, Itzik Zohar, Nir Klinger and others.
Malmilian & Cohen sign with Maccabi ()
Already in his first season, Malmilian had a massive impact and scored 16 goals to lead the league during the 1989/90 season. The rebuilding phase hit full stride during the 1991/92 campaign when the Yellow & Blue took the league title under the tutelage of Head Coach Avram Grant for the first time in 13 seasons. This was Malmilian’s first league title with Maccabi and second overall (earning one with Beitar).
Malmilian left Maccabi after the championship and played one more season before retiring from active play. Over the course of his career number 8 scored 159 league goals placing him 7th on the all-time goalscoring list. Malmilian became famous throughout the country as well as in his hometown of Jerusalem where the vendors in the famed Machne Yehuda used his name to describe fruits being of the highest quality. The attacking midfielder also made 62 appearances for the Israel National Team while scoring 16 goals for the Blue & White.
Stats with Maccabi
Championships: 1991/92
Appearances: 67
Goals: 32
During the 1991/92 campaign, Maccabi played Beitar Tel Aviv in a match that ended 4:1 in favor of the Yellow & Blue. The 4th goal of the match by Arik Shiriki was the result of an incredible assist by Malmilian. WATCH:
