Ya'akov "Yankela" Grundman ( he, יעקב "יענקל'ה" גרונדמן; 20,

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

: Jakub Grundman, alternatively Jakob Grundman or Ja’akow Grundman; July 1939,

Proszowice Proszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Kraków Voivodeship (1975–1998). Its population numbers 6,206 inhabitants (2004). It is the capital of Proszowice County, and the t ...

– 24 May 2004,

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

) was a

-born

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i professional football player and manager.

Biography

Early life

Grundman was born in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

before the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. After the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...

, Grundman’s family went into hiding with a Polish farmer near the town of

. Grundman spent three years hiding in the town, many times going weeks at a time before getting something to eat. At the end of the war, Grundman's father returned to work in the flour business and owned a small bakery. The Grundman's shared profits with the Polish farmer and before making

aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the State of Israel. Traditionally descri ...

to Israel, they gave him their business and two houses. Upon arrival to Israel, the family settled in the

Hatikva Quarter Hatikva Quarter ( he, שכונת התקווה, ''Shkhunat Hatikva'') is a working class neighbourhood in southeastern Tel Aviv, Israel. History The quarter was founded in 1935, named for " Mount Hope" ("Har HaTikva" in Hebrew), a farm built in 185 ...

Playing career

Growing up in

, Grundman joined the local side, Bnei Yehuda. Being the only

Ashkenazi Jew Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

in the squad, Grundman was nicknamed "The Pole." Grundman was part of the squad as they achieved promotion for the first time to the

Liga Leumit Liga Leumit ( he, ליגה לאומית, lit. ''National League'') is the second division of the Israeli Football League, and below its Premier League. Structure There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-plac ...

in 1959.

Managerial career

After retiring as a player, Grundman began a career as a manager, winning the double with

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

in 1977, as well the Israeli league in 1980 with

Maccabi Netanya Maccabi Netanya F.C. ( he, מועדון כדורגל מכבי נתניה, ''Football Club Maccabi Netanya'') is an Israeli football club based in Netanya. Established in 1934, the club was a founding member of the Israeli League in 1949. Aft ...

and the

State Cup The Israel State Cup ( he, גביע המדינה, ''Gvia HaMedina''), is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israel Football Association (IFA). The State Cup was first held in 1928 as the People's Cup. Because it involves ...

with

Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. ( he, מועדון כדורגל בני יהודה תל אביב, ''Moadon Kaduregel Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv''), commonly referred to as Bnei Yehuda (), is an Israeli football club from the Hatikva Quarter of the city of T ...

in 1968, and with

Hapoel Haifa Hapoel Haifa Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל חיפה, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Haifa'') is an Israeli football club located in the city of Haifa. The club won one championship (1998–99) and 4 Israeli cups ( ...

in 1974. The peak of his managerial career was when ha, alongside

Itzhak Schneor Itzhak Schneor ( he, יצחק שניאור; 11 December 1925 – 20 November 2011) was an Israeli footballer and manager. The peak of his managerial career was when he, alongside Ya'akov Grundman jointly coached Israel from 1988 to 1992, and we ...

had jointly coached

between 1988 and 1992, and were one goal short of qualifying for the

1990 world cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being M ...

Later life and death

Grundman spent years in the hospital fighting

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

. In 2004, IFA chairman, Itche Menahem presented him with the

FIFA Order of Merit The FIFA Order of Merit is the highest honour awarded by FIFA. The award is presented at the annual FIFA congress. It is normally awarded to people who are considered to have made a significant contribution to :association football. At FIFA's c ...

. Grundman passed the next day. Before the funeral, his coffin was brought to

Ramat Gan Stadium Ramat Gan Stadium ( he, אצטדיון רמת גן, ''Itztadion Ramat Gan'') is a football stadium in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. It served as the national stadium of Israel until 2014. Overview Completed in 1951 and serving ...

so that the public could pay their respects. On 27 March 2004, three days after Grundman's death, the Israel national team held a moment of silence for Yankeleh before their friendly match against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

Honours

Playing honours

Club

;

: *

: 1968

Managerial honours

Club

;

: *

: 1973–74 ;

: *

: 1976–77 *

: 1976–77 ;

: *

: 1979–80 ;

Shimshon Tel Aviv Shimshon Tel Aviv F.C. (, ''Moadon Kaduregel Shimshon Tel Aviv'') is an Israeli football club based in Tel Aviv. In 2000 it merged with Beitar Tel Aviv to create Beitar Shimshon Tel Aviv.

: *

Toto Cup The Israel Toto Cup ( he, גביע הטוטו, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League (Ligat ha'Al, Ligat Ha'Al), and the second division Liga ...

(2): 1986–87, 1987–88

Individual

: 2004

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grundman, Yaakov 1939 births 2004 deaths People from Proszowice Footballers from Lesser Poland Voivodeship People from Kielce Voivodeship (1919–1939) Holocaust survivors Polish emigrants to Israel Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Israeli men's footballers Israeli football managers Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. players Maccabi Netanya F.C. managers Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. managers Hapoel Haifa F.C. managers Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. managers Israel national football team managers Deaths from cancer in Israel Men's association football midfielders