Ya'akov Hodorov
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| Ya'akov Hodorov | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ya'akov Hodorov | |
| Date of birth | June 16, 1927 | |
| Place of birth |  Rishon LeZion, Israel |
|
| Date of death | December 31, 2006 (aged 79) | |
| Place of death | Jerusalem, Israel |
|
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Deceased | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1942-1944 1944-1947 1947-1962 1962-1964 1964-1965 1965-1966 |
Maccabi Rishon LeZion Ironi Rishon LeZion Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Ramat Gan Shimshon Tel Aviv Hapoel Holon |
- (-) - (-) - (-) - (1) - (-) - (-) |
| National team | ||
| 1949-1964 | Israel |
31 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Ya'akov Hodorov (June 16, 1927 - December 31, 2006) was an Israeli football goalkeeper in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Considered by many as Israel's best goalkeeper in history, and among the best goalkeepers of his generation. Received the Israel Prize for his excellence in 2006.
Hodorov started his football career at Maccabi Rishon LeZion at the age of 15. After few years he moved to local rival Hapoel Rishon LeZion, where he first got national recognition as the unfancied team reached the cup final in 1946. Shortly afterwards he moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv FC, the club where he stayed for most of his career. At Hapoel Tel Aviv he won the Israeli league championship in 1957 and the Israeli state cup in 1960. Later he joined Hapoel Ramat Gan and won another league title in 1964, and afterwards played at Shimshon Tel Aviv and ended his career with Hapoel Holon, where he also had a short spell as coach.
Hodorov made his debut for the national team in a friendly match against Cyprus in 1949, and for the next decade played in almost all international matches. He soon became the hero of the team that struggled against European opponents. He reached his peak in the latter half of the 1950s.
The most memorable match of his career was in 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification against Wales at Cardiff, in which he suffered a broken nose in a collision with Welsh striker John Charles but continued to play and made dozens of acrobatic saves.
Other notable matches were against USSR at Ramat Gan Stadium in 1956 Olympic qualification, where he played with a broken finger, and Israel's sensational win over Yugoslavia at Belgrade in 1960 Olympic qualification.
Hodorov got lucrative offers from several European professional clubs, including Arsenal FC, Dundee United and Fenerbahçe,[citation needed] but he turned them down and chose to play his entire career in the then-amateur Israeli league.
The state of Israel has awarded him the Israel Prize for his excellence and contribution for sports, one of few sportpeople who received this honour. Several days before he was due to receive the prize he suffered a stroke and was unable to attend the ceremony. This stroke eventually led to his death several months later at the age of 79.
