Benny Tabak

Benny Tabak was born in 1956. His father, David Tabak, was an Israeli champion sprinter who represented Israel at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.[1] Maccabi Tel Aviv player Abraham Stamberger brought him to the club at age 14.[1]

Tabak played as a forward for Maccabi Tel Aviv from the early 1970s through 1989, scoring 121 goals for the club and winning two league championships and three State Cups.[1] His nickname, "F-15," referred to the speed and explosive acceleration that characterized his play.[1]

A 2013 ynet report identified Tabak as the third-highest scorer in Maccabi Tel Aviv's history at the time of publication.[2] A separate ynet retrospective records 128 goals in 412 league matches across his entire career.[3]

Among the highlights of his club career was his involvement in the Tel Aviv derby of the 1977/78 season, when four goals were scored in the opening ten minutes. Tabak and Vicky Peretz scored for Maccabi, while Shiye Feigenbaum and Gili Landau replied for Hapoel Tel Aviv. Peretz later scored again to secure Maccabi's victory.[4]

Tabak earned 12 appearances for the Israeli national team and scored five international goals, three of them against Portugal.[1] On 28 October 1981, Israel faced Portugal at Ramat Gan Stadium in a 1982 World Cup qualifying match. Israel had lost the away match 3–0, but scored all four goals of a 4–1 home victory within the opening 30 minutes, with Tabak completing a hat-trick.[1][3] Newspaper coverage published after the match described the performance as a "stunning knockout."[3]

Tabak retired from the national team one month after the Portugal match, at what the retrospective described as the peak of his international career.[3] Borussia Mönchengladbach reportedly offered Maccabi Tel Aviv $120,000 for him, but Maccabi declined because it had already released Vicky Peretz to France. Tabak felt wronged, boycotted the club for two weeks and secured a commitment that Maccabi would permit a future move abroad. He later played one season for Kansas City in the United States indoor league.[1][3]

Another landmark performance came in a friendly against Liverpool at Ramat Gan Stadium before approximately 40,000 spectators. Tabak scored all four Israeli goals in a 4–3 victory over a Liverpool side that included Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness.[1]

After retiring as a player, Tabak moved into coaching. He guided Israel's under-17 national team to the bronze medal at the 1996 European Under-17 Championship, then described as the greatest achievement to that point by an Israeli national team. Yossi Benayoun was among the players in the squad.[3]

In the quarterfinal against Germany, Israel fell 2–0 behind before Tabak instructed his players to treat the score as 0–0 and play for their honor.[3] Israel equalized and then won in extra time with a golden goal. Tabak later said that seeing the German players in tears made him realize that "the Israeli footballer is nevertheless worth something."[3]

Tabak subsequently coached Hapoel Beersheba and Kiryat Shmona and worked in Israel's lower divisions.[3] During the 2012–13 season, he led Ironi Ramat HaSharon into the Israeli Premier League championship playoff despite predictions from some commentators that the club would face relegation.[3]

In May 2013, following a 2–1 away defeat to Bnei Yehuda, Tabak announced his departure. He said, "I am not continuing here next season. The conduct is not to my liking," and added that he would manage the final match before leaving.[5] He noted that Ramat HaSharon had secured its league survival ten matches before the end of the season and attributed his decision partly to a change of chairman that occurred without anyone discussing his status with him.[5]

In May 2013, following his successful season with Ramat HaSharon, Maccabi Tel Aviv appointed Tabak as team manager.[2] The position was intended to draw on his knowledge of Israeli football and make him a link between the club's professional management and the rest of the organization.[2] He had previously managed Maccabi's youth department from 2003 to 2008 and remained team manager until leaving the position in 2017.[1][2]

In 2020, Tabak discussed his involvement in a football development project with Amishav Petah Tikva of Liga Bet. He said the project had stopped following the outbreak of COVID-19 and that he was waiting for the lower leagues to resume.[1]

Tabak's standing at Maccabi Tel Aviv rests principally on his 121 goals for the club and his place among its leading historical scorers.[1][2] His "F-15" nickname remained closely associated with the speed that defined his playing style.[1] As a coach, his under-17 team's bronze medal at the 1996 European Championship marked another notable contribution to Israeli football.[3]

Published accounts differ on the starting year of Tabak's Maccabi Tel Aviv first-team career. Sport1 dates it to 1973, while a 2013 ynet report dates it to 1972; both credit him with 121 goals for the club.[1][2] A separate ynet retrospective reports 128 goals in 412 league matches across his entire career, rather than 128 goals for Maccabi alone.[3] The figures therefore describe different statistical scopes, while the one-year discrepancy in his first-team debut remains unresolved in the cited accounts.