Roby Young
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Reuven Young ראובן יאנג |
||
| Date of birth | 15 May 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Haifa, Israel, Israel | ||
| Playing position | Wing back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1959–1976 | Hapoel Haifa | 196 | (43) |
| 1972–1973 | New York Cosmos (loan) | 18 | (2) |
| National team | |||
| 1961–1969 | Israel | 50 | (8) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
Reuven "Roby" Young (Hebrew: רובי יאנג; born 15 May 1942) is a former Israeli international footballer, and captain of Hapoel Haifa.
Born on 15 May 1942 in Haifa, Israel, Roby Young was raised (alongside his older brother) by his mother in a small one-bedroom apartment in a quaint beach-side neighborhood called Bat Galim (translated: House of Waves). Grounded by his poor and humble beginnings, where his mother worked multiple jobs to keep food on the table, Young would become Captain of the Israeli National Soccer Team, and considered one of the greatest Jewish soccer players in history.
Forced to quit school as a young teenager to earn wages at an oil factory, Young was first discovered playing soccer at age 15 for factory's team in an industrial league. His raw power and speed at such a young age attracted a scout from nearby professional club, Hapoel Haifa, who brought Young into their youth program. Young's impact on the youth program was immediate, as his team did not lose a single match and won the youth National Championship in Israel. By age 16, Young was promoted to the senior professional team and made his professional debut at age 16. Young remained loyal to Hapoel Haifa for his entire career in Israel, where he led his Hapoel Haifa team for over a decade and won two National Cups.
Still only a teenager, Young was invited to play for the Israeli National Soccer Team at age 17. As a left winger, Young was a mainstay on the National Team for twelve years and became the first Captain of the Israeli national team from Haifa. As Captain of the Israeli National Soccer Team during its Golden Age, Young paced the Israeli team to its best ever finish in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City (where he was the flag bearer for Israel) and led Israel to qualify for the FIFA World Cup (held in Mexico City in 1970). Young and his Israeli team are also the unlucky answers to a soccer trivia question: which is the LAST team to lose a World Cup or Olympics playoff game by "choosing lots" before FIFA changed the rules to introduce Penalty Kicks to decide games. In the 1968 Olympics, the Israeli soccer team Israeli National Soccer Team qualified for the Quarter-Finals from Group C 1968 Olympic Games. Israel faced Bulgaria and played them to a 1-1 draw after regulation and overtime. With no Penalty Kicks rule in place, the game would be decided by drawing names out of a hat -- with Young, as Captain of the Israeli team, at midfield with the Bulgarian Captain (Dimitrov) and the officials. Israel was unlucky to lose that game, as Bulgaria prevailed and took home the Silver Medal.
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