{{Short description|Israeli footballer (1937–2017)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Shaul Matania<br>שאול מתניה | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | fullname = | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1937|03|08}} | birth_place = Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2017|07|20|1937|03|08}} | death_place = Israel | height = 1.80 m | position = Defender | youthyears1 = 1949–195? | youthclubs1 = Maccabi Tel Aviv | years1 = 1953–1966 | clubs1 = Maccabi Tel Aviv | caps1 = 253 | goals1 = 1 | years2 = 1966–1968? | clubs2 = Maccabi Holon | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = 1968–19?? | clubs3 = Maccabi Zikhron Ya'akov | caps3 = | goals3 = | years4 = 19??–1971 | clubs4 = Hapoel Kfar Shalem | caps4 = | goals4 = | nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = Israel | nationalcaps1 = 17 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | manageryears1 = 1966–1968? | managerclubs1 = Maccabi Holon (player-coach) | manageryears2 = 1968–19?? | managerclubs2 = Maccabi Zikhron Ya'akov (player-coach) | manageryears3 = 19??–1971 | managerclubs3 = Hapoel Kfar Shalem (player-coach) | manageryears4 = 1971–197? | managerclubs4 = Hapoel Giv'at Shmuel | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's football}} {{MedalCountry|{{fb|ISR}}}} {{MedalCompetition|AFC Asian Cup}} {{Medal|W|1964 Israel}} {{Medal|RU|1956 Hong Kong|}} }} '''Shaul Matania''' ({{Langx|he|שאול מתניה}}; 8 March 1937 – 20 July 2017) was an Israeli footballer who played in defender positions. He played for Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israel national team. Matania won the title Israeli Footballer of the Year for the 1961–62 season.<ref name=great/>
== Club career == Matania started his football career in 1949, at the age of 12, when he joined the boys' team of Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 1953, when only 16, Matania joined the senior team.<ref name=passed/> He was the defensive stronghold of the team for thirteen years.
Matania scored four times in cup games, of which two goals were penalties, and once in a league game.<ref name=maccabipedia/> On 22 June 1957, Matania scored an equalizing goal in the 119th minute, virtually at end of the extension of the national cup semifinals,<ref name=great/> after Shlomo Nahari had shot Hapoel Petah Tikva to 2–1 in the 98th minute. Mantania's great stunt as a Tel Aviv defender in the Haifa Municipal Stadium was eventually to no avail, as Petah Tikva won 2–0 in the replay of the semifinals.
Until leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv's senior team in 1966, Matania won three national championships and six national cups. He had 253 caps in league games and 39 in cup games.<ref name=maccabipedia>{{cite web|url=https://www.maccabipedia.co.il/%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%95%D7%9C_%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%94|title=שאול מתניה|trans-title=Shaul Matania|website=Maccabipedia|language=he}}</ref> A cool fact is that he never entered a game on the senior team as a replacement.<ref name=maccabipedia/>
== International career == Matania earned 17 caps with the Israel national team.<ref name=service/> His debut was on 11 July 1956, in Moscow, in the pre-Olympic tournament against the Soviet Union national football team.<ref name=service>{{cite news|url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1966/06/02/01/article/57|first=Israel|last=Rosemblum|title=מתניה נפרד ממכבי ת"א לאחר 17 שנות שרות|language=he|trans-title=Matania parts from Maccabi TA after 17 years of service|newspaper=Maariv|via=National Library of Israel|date=2 July 1966}}</ref> In 1959 he played in the six qualifying games of the Asia Cup in India, among these a 3–0 victory over Iran and 3–1 victory over India.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/khm/1959/12/09/01/article/14/ |title=ישראל גברה על נבחרת הודו בכדורגל; רפי לוי הבקיע את שלושת השערים|newspaper=Kol HaAm|date=9 December 1959|page=1|trans-title=Israel beat the Indian football team; Rafi Levi scored the three goals}}<!-- this source was included for DATA reference, not for notability --></ref> Israel ended first in the qualifying round, yet Matania missed out on the 1960 finals in South Korea, where Israel ended second.
The last game in which Matania played for the national team was in 1961 when the Yugoslavia national football team beat Israel 2–0 in Ramat Gan.<ref name=service/> As a bencher, he was on the national team for many more years to come.
== Managerial career == From 1966 to 1971, Matania was a player-coach at Maccabi Holon in Israel's second tier, Maccabi Zikhron Ya'akov (starting in 1968) in Israel's third tier, and Hapoel Kfar Shalem, also in Israel's third tier. In 1971, Matania quit his player career and became the manager of Hapoel Giv'at Shmuel.
== Personal and death == Next to and after his football career, Matania worked as a PE educator.<ref name=great>{{cite news|title=תגובה ראשונה של מתניה: 'יופי!'|url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1962/05/06/01/article/99/|date=6 May 1962|newspaper=Maariv|first=Alex|last=Doron|trans-title=First reaction by Matania: 'Great!'}}</ref>
Matania died on 20 July 2017 at the age of 80.<ref name=passed/> He was buried at kibbutz Einat.<ref name=passed>{{cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4992035,00.html|title=שחקן העבר שאול מתניה הלך לעולמו|language=he|trans-title=Former player Shaul Manania passed away|quote=מגן נבחרת ישראל לשעבר, שזכה עם מכבי תל אביב בשלוש אליפויות בשנות ה-50', נפטר בגיל 80. ההלוויה תיערך ביום שישי ב-12:00 בקיבוץ עינת|first=Moshe|last=Sheinman|date=20 July 2017|newspaper=Yediot Ahronot}}</ref>
==Honours== ===Player=== '''Maccabi Tel Aviv''' * Israeli championship: 1953–54, 1955–56, 1957–58 * Israel State Cup: 1953–54, 1954–55, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1963–64, 1964–65 * Super cup: 1955–56
'''Israel''' *AFC Asian Cup: 1964 <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/64asch.html|title=Asian Nations Cup 1964|language=en|access-date=May 24, 2026}}</ref>; Runner-up, 1956 <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/1956_asia_squads.pdf|title=Asian Cup 1956 Squads|language=en|access-date=May 24, 2026}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/56asch.html|title=Asian Nations Cup 1956|language=en|access-date=May 24, 2026}}</ref>
===Individual=== * Israeli Footballer of the Year: 1961-62
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Israeli Footballer of the Year}} {{Israel squad 1956 AFC Asian Cup}} {{Israel squad 1964 AFC Asian Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matania, Shaul}} Category:1937 births Category:2017 deaths Category:Israeli men's footballers Category:Men's association football defenders Category:Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. players Category:Footballers from Tel Aviv Category:20th-century Israeli educators Category:Israeli football managers Category:Men's association football player-managers Category:A.S. Holon Mor players Category:Israeli Footballer of the Year recipients Category:20th-century Israeli sportsmen Category:AFC Asian Cup–winning players