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Shimon Ratner

Shimon Ratner, also known as Shimon Leumi and "Lumek", was a football player and coach who coached the Mandatory Palestine national team in its first match in 1934.

1898 to 1964Coaching Mandatory Palestine's first matchThe national team's first goalPlaying and coaching at Maccabi Tel Aviv

Born: 26 July 1898, Kraków
Died: 21 January 1964, Petah Tikva
Occupation: association football player, association football coach

Shimon Ratner was born in 1898 in Kraków

Ratner was born on 26 July 1898 to a Jewish family. His nickname "Lumek" came from his younger brother Max, who could not say the name Shimon and called him "Shumek". His teammates at Hakoah Vienna changed it to "Lumek".

He moved to Vienna in 1914 and joined Hakoah Vienna. In 1920 he moved to the Land of Israel, worked briefly building roads, and then joined Maccabi Tel Aviv as a player and coach. He shaped the club's first playing system and set at least 3 training sessions a week.

He played for the Mandatory Palestine team and scored its first goal, in a 2-5 loss to a British Army team in Cairo in 1930. In 1928 he moved to Maccabi Avshalom Petah Tikva and later to Hapoel Petah Tikva, where he held several roles until 1954.

In 1934 he was appointed coach of the national team for the World Cup qualifiers against Egypt. The team lost both matches, played in Cairo on 16 March and in Tel Aviv on 6 April, and he then stepped down. He hebraized his surname to Leumi, died on 21 January 1964 of a heart attack, and was buried in Segula cemetery.