Mayer Nimni, one of the great midfielders of the 1970's, joined Maccabi at the age of 21 and made his maiden appearance in the first league match of the 1968/69 season. He quickly became the pivotal figure in the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad, captured a fixed position in the starting eleven and became one of the best loved players on the team. That same season he opened his goal scoring account for the club when he netted the third of three Maccabi goals in a 3-0 victory over Hapoel Jerusalem and added a second in the last game of the season against Shimshon Tel Aviv. Still in his first season he also got himself in the Maccabi record books when he participated in the historic first ever Maccabi Tel Aviv triumph in the Asian Club Championship Cup. Nimni played the full 90 minutes in all of the games, including a superlative performance in the 1-0 victory over the South Korean club Yang Chi in the final.
Nimni continued to accumulate titles in his first years at the club, including a championship and an Israel Football Association (IFA) Cup double in his second season. Alternatively positioned as defender, Nimni made 27 appearances that season, including the famous Tel Aviv derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv in January 1970 which Maccabi won handily by a score of 5-0. Nimni had a reputation as a player of such talent and versatility he could fit in at any position on the pitch. In his 13 years at the club, he scored 27 goals in all competitions and won four league championships, two Asian Club Championship Cup and two IFA Cups.
Nimni was called up for the Israel squad in the preparations for the 1974 Asian Cup and made his maiden appearance in the 8-3 victory over Malaysia. He was also a member of the national team that played in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and helped his side reach the quarter finals, which they lost to Brazil 4-1. In all, Nimni was capped 25 times for his country but failed to score in international competition.
picture courtesy of the Israel Football Association archives
