60 Sporting Heroes for 60 Years: No. 18 Yaakov Hodorov
By ALLON SINAI
Yaakov Hodorov is undoubtedly the greatest Israeli goalkeeper of all-time. Hodorov was the Israel national team's first goalkeeper and was awarded with the Israel Prize in 2006. The 'keeper, who passed away on December 31, 2006 at the age of 79, is especially remembered for his heroic performances against the Soviet Union in the Olympic qualifiers in 1956 and in the 2-1 away win against Yugoslavia in 1960. He played for the national team 31 times, and was even chosen as one of the five best goalkeepers in the world in 1957 after his remarkable display against Wales in which, despite breaking his nose and dislocating his shoulder, was still Israel's best player on the field. Hodorov began his career at his hometown of Rishon Lezion, but peaked as keeper of Hapoel Tel Aviv. He led the team to the league title in 1957 and to a State Cup in 1961 before leaving for second division Hapoel Ramat Gan, which he guided to immediate promotion and a league championship in the subsequent season.
On Monday: A woman who smashed her way to success on the court