Menachem (Miko) Bello, who played for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1960's and 70's, is remembered as one of the greatest ever left backs to play football for Maccabi Tel Aviv in particular and for Israel in general. He joined the club at age12 and made his first senior team appearance aged 16 in February of 1964 in an Israel Football Association (IFA) Cup match against Hapoel Kiryat Ono. It was the match that launched the campaign that ended in Bello and Maccabi lifting the Cup at the end of the competition, with Bello playing in every match along the way. The following season Bello continued to display his great abilities and consistency on the pitch and helped the club capture their second consecutive IFA Cup title.

Bello had the reputation as a defender who could stop attacking players fairly and with great precision, witness to his relative rare appearances in the referee's book during his 18 year tenure with the club. By contrast, the number of titles attributed to his name is almost unprecedented: five championships, five IFA Cups and two  Asian Club Championship Cups. His time at Maccabi in the late '60's and early '70's represents one of the most successful and significant periods in the club's history. It started with the IFA Cup in 1966/67, the championship in the 1966/68 season extended by the Six Day War, the Asian Club Championship Cup the following season, the championship in 1969/70 and once again the Asian Club Championship Cup in 1970/71.

In the first of Maccabi's  Asian Club Championship Cup victories, Bello played in every match of the competition and was on the pitch for Maccabi's famous 5-0 derby triumph over Hapoel Tel Aviv in the championship year of 1970. He remained with the club until his retirement in 1982, 18 consecutive years shoring up the defences of Maccabi Tel Aviv during a particularly successful and title-filled period. Bello made 57 appearances for the Israeli national team, among others in the Olympic campaign in Mexico in 1968 and the matches at World Cup finals in Mexico in 1970.

picture courtesy of the Israel Football Association archives