Ronny Rosenthal
Encyclopedia
Ronny Rosenthal also known by the nickname Rocket Ronny is an Israeli former footballer. After starting his career in the city of his birth with Maccabi Haifa
, Rosenthal went on to play in Belgium with Club Brugge
and Standard Liège
. He moved to Liverpool
in 1990 for a fee of £1.1million, becoming the first non-British player to move to an English club for more than £1million. After four years at Liverpool, Rosenthal finished his career with Tottenham Hotspur
and Watford
. Between 1983 and 1997 he made 60 appearances for the Israel national football team
, scoring 11 goals.
, Israel
. He joined the youth team of Maccabi Haifa
when he was 11. At the age of 16, he was promoted to the senior squad and scored twice after coming on as a substitute.
In 1982 English coach Jack Mansell
tried to release Rosenthal on a free transfer. He assumed that "he will never be a player" and that he was the weakest link of the team. However club president Yochanan Vollach
believed in Rosenthal's potential and intervened, stating he would not let him go for any price.
Shlomo Sharf was hired as the manager for the 1983–84 season. Sharf made Rosenthal part of a three-man strikeforce in a team that won two consecutive league championships. In total Rosenthal scored 38 goals for Haifa.
Rosenthal moved to Club Brugge
of Belgium at the end of the 1985–86 season, for a transfer fee of $275,000. During the 1987–88 season he was part of the Brugge team they won the Belgian League and reached the UEFA Cup
semi-finals.
In 1988 Rosenthal moved to Standard Liège
as part of an exchange deal. Whilst at Liège, he was loaned out to Italian side Udinese
and then in the midst of the 1989–90 season he was allowed to go on trial at English side Luton Town
. Whilst he was there he was spotted by Liverpool
who signed him on loan, from March 22 until the end of the season.
Rosenthal made his debut as a 70th minute sub on March 31, 1990 in a 3–2 league win over Southampton
at Anfield
. On April 11 he scored a hat-trick
on his full debut in 4–0 win against Charlton Athletic
at Selhurst Park
. Liverpool went on to win the First Division
championship that season, with Rosenthal scoring 7 goals in the final 8 matches and displacing Peter Beardsley
as Ian Rush's
strike partner.
On June 29, 1990 Rosenthal was signed permanently by Liverpool for a fee of £1.1m making him the first foreign player bought by an English club for more than £1m. He never made the same impact at the club, mainly making appearances from the bench and from January of the 1990–91
he was faced with another contender for his place in the team when Liverpool signed David Speedie
.
He scored three goals in 20 league games in 1991–92
, often covering for the injured Ian Rush
, but was not selected for the FA Cup final winning squad.
One of his most famous moments while at Liverpool came in September 1992 in a game against Aston Villa
, he hit the crossbar of an open goal from close range under no pressure. His highest number of appearances in a league campaign for Liverpool came in 1992–93
, when he fought off competition from underperforming and injury prone new arrival Paul Stewart to play 27 times in the Premier League and score six goals. However, it was not a successful season for Liverpool, who spent most of the season in the bottom half of the new FA Premier League
(for which they had been among the pre-season title favourites) before a late surge saw them finish sixth.http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=43303
Rosenthal played 97 times for the club, scoring 22 goals and was placed at No.76 in the poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.
Rosenthal moved to Tottenham Hotspur
on January 26, 1994, for a fee of £250,000, having played just three league games for the Reds that season. His sale from Liverpool came just 48 hours before the resignation of manager Graeme Souness
.
He made his Spurs debut on January 29, 1994 in a 3–0 FA Cup
defeat to Ipswich Town
at Portman Road
. On February 5 he scored on his league debut, a twenty-yard (18 m) header in a 3–1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday
. During the 1994–95
season Rosenthal was instrumental in a 6–2 victory away at Southampton
in a FA Cup
5th round replay. They were losing 2–0 at half-time, and Rosenthal scored a hat-trick. He made 100 appearances for Spurs, scoring 11 goals.
On the August 10, 1997 Rosenthal signed for Watford
on a free transfer. He helped Watford win the Second Division
championship, scoring the goal of the season against Blackpool
. He suffered from injuries in the 1998–99
season, playing only 5 matches. He retired at the end of the season, after making 39 appearances for Watford, scoring 11 goals. In total he scored 85 league goals in 4 different European leagues.
, 41 starting and scoring 11 goals. He was selected for the junior side after making his Maccabi Haifa debut, and made his full debut whilst still at the club.
During his international career he was involved in the match versus France
in 1993, which stopped France qualifying for the 1994 World Cup
. Israel won 3–2 in Paris, with Rosenthal assisting all 3 goals. His individual goal against Azerbaijan
in 1996, taking the ball from the Israeli penalty area, was voted as "Millennium Goal" by the Israeli public.
Maccabi Haifa F.C.
Maccabi Haifa Football Club is an Israeli football team from the city of Haifa, a section of Maccabi Haifa sports club. The club has won 12 championships, 5 State Cups and 4 Toto Cups...
, Rosenthal went on to play in Belgium with Club Brugge
Club Brugge
Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
and Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
. He moved to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in 1990 for a fee of £1.1million, becoming the first non-British player to move to an English club for more than £1million. After four years at Liverpool, Rosenthal finished his career with Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
and Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
. Between 1983 and 1997 he made 60 appearances for the Israel national football team
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
, scoring 11 goals.
Playing career
Rosenthal was born and raised in HaifaHaifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He joined the youth team of Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa F.C.
Maccabi Haifa Football Club is an Israeli football team from the city of Haifa, a section of Maccabi Haifa sports club. The club has won 12 championships, 5 State Cups and 4 Toto Cups...
when he was 11. At the age of 16, he was promoted to the senior squad and scored twice after coming on as a substitute.
In 1982 English coach Jack Mansell
Jack Mansell
Jack Mansell is a former professional footballer who made 274 appearances in the Football League as a fullback for Brighton & Hove Albion, Cardiff City and Portsmouth. After retiring as a player he joined the coaching staff at Sheffield Wednesday. He coached many clubs, such as Boston Beacons and...
tried to release Rosenthal on a free transfer. He assumed that "he will never be a player" and that he was the weakest link of the team. However club president Yochanan Vollach
Yochanan Vollach
Yochanan Vollach is a former Israeli footballer. He was a member of the Israeli national team that competed at the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Today, Vollach is president of the Maccabi Haifa sport organization as well as being the president and CEO of Newlog, a subsidiary of Israeli shipping company...
believed in Rosenthal's potential and intervened, stating he would not let him go for any price.
Shlomo Sharf was hired as the manager for the 1983–84 season. Sharf made Rosenthal part of a three-man strikeforce in a team that won two consecutive league championships. In total Rosenthal scored 38 goals for Haifa.
Rosenthal moved to Club Brugge
Club Brugge
Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
of Belgium at the end of the 1985–86 season, for a transfer fee of $275,000. During the 1987–88 season he was part of the Brugge team they won the Belgian League and reached the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
semi-finals.
In 1988 Rosenthal moved to Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
as part of an exchange deal. Whilst at Liège, he was loaned out to Italian side Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
and then in the midst of the 1989–90 season he was allowed to go on trial at English side Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
. Whilst he was there he was spotted by Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
who signed him on loan, from March 22 until the end of the season.
Rosenthal made his debut as a 70th minute sub on March 31, 1990 in a 3–2 league win over Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. On April 11 he scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
on his full debut in 4–0 win against Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
. Liverpool went on to win the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
championship that season, with Rosenthal scoring 7 goals in the final 8 matches and displacing Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
as Ian Rush's
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
strike partner.
On June 29, 1990 Rosenthal was signed permanently by Liverpool for a fee of £1.1m making him the first foreign player bought by an English club for more than £1m. He never made the same impact at the club, mainly making appearances from the bench and from January of the 1990–91
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
he was faced with another contender for his place in the team when Liverpool signed David Speedie
David Speedie
David Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
.
He scored three goals in 20 league games in 1991–92
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
, often covering for the injured Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
, but was not selected for the FA Cup final winning squad.
One of his most famous moments while at Liverpool came in September 1992 in a game against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, he hit the crossbar of an open goal from close range under no pressure. His highest number of appearances in a league campaign for Liverpool came in 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
, when he fought off competition from underperforming and injury prone new arrival Paul Stewart to play 27 times in the Premier League and score six goals. However, it was not a successful season for Liverpool, who spent most of the season in the bottom half of the new FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
(for which they had been among the pre-season title favourites) before a late surge saw them finish sixth.http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=43303
Rosenthal played 97 times for the club, scoring 22 goals and was placed at No.76 in the poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.
Rosenthal moved to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
on January 26, 1994, for a fee of £250,000, having played just three league games for the Reds that season. His sale from Liverpool came just 48 hours before the resignation of manager Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
.
He made his Spurs debut on January 29, 1994 in a 3–0 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
defeat to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
at Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...
. On February 5 he scored on his league debut, a twenty-yard (18 m) header in a 3–1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
. During the 1994–95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
season Rosenthal was instrumental in a 6–2 victory away at Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in a FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
5th round replay. They were losing 2–0 at half-time, and Rosenthal scored a hat-trick. He made 100 appearances for Spurs, scoring 11 goals.
On the August 10, 1997 Rosenthal signed for Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
on a free transfer. He helped Watford win the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
championship, scoring the goal of the season against Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. He suffered from injuries in the 1998–99
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
season, playing only 5 matches. He retired at the end of the season, after making 39 appearances for Watford, scoring 11 goals. In total he scored 85 league goals in 4 different European leagues.
International career
Rosenthal has 61 caps for IsraelIsrael national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
, 41 starting and scoring 11 goals. He was selected for the junior side after making his Maccabi Haifa debut, and made his full debut whilst still at the club.
During his international career he was involved in the match versus France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in 1993, which stopped France qualifying for the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
. Israel won 3–2 in Paris, with Rosenthal assisting all 3 goals. His individual goal against Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...
in 1996, taking the ball from the Israeli penalty area, was voted as "Millennium Goal" by the Israeli public.
Post-playing career
Rosenthal works as a "football consultant" and he and his family live in England. He married a woman from Belgium, Nancy, and their two sons, Dean and Tom, were born in England. One of his sons is a midfielder and is enrolled with former club Watford's Academy.Honours
- Liga Leumit (top division): Champions, 1983–84 and 1984–85 with Maccabi Haifa
- Belgian Premier Division: Champions, 1987–88 with Club Brugge
- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(top division): Champions, 1989–901989-90 in English football-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
with Liverpool - Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
: Champions, 1997–981997-98 in English footballThe 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
with Watford
See also
- List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players