Ronny Levy

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Ronny Levy
Ronny Levy
Personal information
Full name Ronny Levy
Date of birth November 14, 1966
Place of birth Netanya, Israel
Position Manager (former Defensive Midfielder)
Club information
Current club Maccabi Haifa
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (goals)
1985-1990
1990
1990-1992
1992-1997
Maccabi Netanya
Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv
Maccabi Netanya
Maccabi Haifa
 ? (?)
? (?)
? (?)
144 (18)
National team**
1993-1995 Israel 15 (0)
Teams managed
1998-2000
2000
2000-2003
2003-present
Maccabi Haifa (Youth)
Maccabi Haifa (Interim)
Maccabi Haifa (Youth)
Maccabi Haifa

* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of July 28, 2006.
** National team caps and goals correct
as of July 28, 2006.

Ronny Levy (Hebrew: רוני לוי), (born November 14, 1966) is a former Israeli international football player and is currently manager of Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa F.C..levy was one of the best defensive midfielders in Israeli football while playing,and won championships with both Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa F.C..He has 15 international caps with the Israeli national team. As a manager Levy is considered very thorough and an extremely dedicated professional,dictating very high standards and uncompromising in what he demands from players.He also has an "eye" for talent,signing in his time some of the best foreign talents that ever played in Israel,such as Gustavo Boccoli and Roberto Colautti.

[edit] playing career

Levy started his career as a striker in the youth teams of Maccabi Netanya,he was a prolific scorer and was promoted to the first team in 1985.After five seasons in the shadow of then domestic superstars Oded Machnes and David lavi,he was loaned to Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv in the transfer window of season 1989/1990,where he won His and the club's first championship title. After two good years back in Maccabi Netanya,Levy Transferred to Maccabi Haifa F.C. in 1992 where he was positioned first as a defender and after a few games His role was changed to Defensive midfielder,the position he would occupy until the end of His playing career.Levy played a major role in maccabi haifa's championship in the season of 1993/1994.He retired from playing in 1997 Due to serious injury to his knee.

[edit] As a manager

With retirement,Levy was given a coaching position in one of Maccabi Haifa F.C.'s youth teams.after two years in the youth department,he was made assistant manager of the first team, under the management of Eli Cohen.Cohen resigned his position in the last stages of the 1999/2000 season,and was replaced by Levy for a few games.At the end of the season,Levy returned to the youth department,this time as head coach of the first youth team for the next 3 years,where he was very successful,making both cup and league titles in his last year there. As the season of 2002/2003 ended,And manager Itzhak Shum left the club to top greek club Panathinaikos,Levy was given the position of first team manager.His appointment met serious doubts from both media and fans,suggesting he was not experienced enough to fill one of the most desirable and prestigious roles in Israeli football. Levy answered the critics with 3 domestic championships in a row in his first 3 years of managing Maccabi Haifa F.C.(2003/2004,2004/2005,2005/2006),one Toto cup(2006),and a qualification to the UEFA cup group stage in 2006/2007. Levy is also considered one of the first managers in Israeli football to use computer software as a tool for measuring the players' performance and a means for tactical analysis,and surely the one who uses it most extensively.Levy received in 2006 a "manager of the year" award from both major Israeli newspapers,Yedioth Ahronoth and Maariv.