Shmuel Rosenthal – The First Israeli: Rosenthal was the first Israeli professional to play in the Bundesliga. He represented Israel at the 1968 Olympics and the 1970 World Cup, then played 13 times for Borussia Mönchengladbach between 1972 and 1973, mostly as a libero, scoring once. “It was the best time of my life,” he later said of his spell on the Lower Rhine.\n\n“I opened the doors for all Israeli footballers.” In 1997, however, he was sentenced in Israel to 13 years in prison as part of a cocaine-smuggling ring.