Rodrigo Goldberg
Rodrigo Goldberg (born August 9, 1971) is a Chilean former international football player. As a player, he gained national notoriety in Israel for his talented play with Maccabi Tel Aviv and good use of the Hebrew language.[1] He works as a commentator on Canal del Fútbol in Chile.
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Rodrigo Alejandro Goldberg Mierzejewski | ||
Date of birth | 9 August 1971 | ||
Place of birth | Santiago, Chile | ||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
Playing position(s) | Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
– | Universidad de Chile | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1989–1997 | Universidad de Chile | 67 | (11) |
1992–1993 | → Wanderers (loan) | 61 | (25) |
1997–2003 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 75 | (28) |
1998–1999 | → U. Católica (loan) | 19 | (5) |
2005–2006 | Santiago Morning | 37 | (6) |
National team‡ | |||
1995–2001 | Chile | 13 | (4) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 April 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 April 2020 |
Time in Israel
Goldberg was an integral part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad that took back to back cup titles and a league championship thereafter.[2] He had a strained relationship with club captain Avi Nimni and verbally criticized him in the Israeli media before returning to Chile.[3]
Return to Chile
After playing for four seasons in Israel, Goldberg returned to Chile to play for Santiago Morning. During a club match against Palestino, he was subjected to anti-Semitic abuse from the oppositions supporters because of his Polish and German Jewish background.[4] Goldberg is, however, a Catholic, as a result of the conversion of his grandparents.[5]
Honours
Player
- Universidad de Chile
- Primera División de Chile (2): 1994, 1995
- Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Israel State Cup (2): 2001, 2002
- Israeli Premier League (1): 2002–03
Footnotes
- Sagi, Miki (2006-04-19). רודריגו גולדברג: "קראו לי בצ'ילה יהודי זבל" (in Hebrew). Yedioth Ahronoth. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
- Sagi, Miki (2006-04-19). "'They called me Jewish garbage'". Yedioth Ahronoth. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
- Zenzifer, Nadav (2003-03-10). נמני: "גורמים במכבי הסיתו שחקנים נגדי" (in Hebrew). Iton Tel Aviv. Archived from the original on February 23, 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
- AFP (2006-04-18). "Insultos antisemitas en torneo chileno" (in Spanish). Univision.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
- Eskenazi, Gerald (20 March 2012). "Chile's 'Jewish' soccer star". Retrieved 25 January 2014.
I'm not Jewish. The only Hebrew word I knew was 'shalom.' My grandparents were German and Polish Jews, and they converted because in this country, it was easier to be Catholic
External links
- Profile and statistics of Rodrigo Goldberg on One.co.il (in Hebrew)
- Rodrigo Goldberg at BDFA (in Spanish)