Maccabi Tel Aviv Adds Belgian Assistant Coach and Neuroscience Expert to Staff

Maccabi Tel Aviv announced on July 1, 2026, the appointment of two new staff members to support head coach Kenny Miller. The club has hired 47-year-old Belgian assistant coach Bernd Thijs and neuroscience and performance expert Ludo Pollers. Thijs, a former Belgian international midfielder, played over 500 matches for prominent European clubs including Standard Liège, Racing Genk, Trabzonspor, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Gent. He also earned seven caps for Belgium's senior national team and represented various youth national teams. After retiring as a player, Thijs transitioned into coaching, serving as assistant coach at Gent, Standard Liège, and Saudi club Al-Raed. Most recently, he was part of the coaching staff at Hungarian club Győr, helping lead the team to a league title under Steven Vanhaeren.

Joining Thijs is Ludo Pollers, a specialist in neuroscience and athletic performance who collaborated successfully with Thijs at Győr over the past two years. Pollers has extensive experience working with elite athletes and performance managers across multiple sports. His previous roles include work with the Belgian biathlon team, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Qatar’s Aspire Academy, and as a staff member for Belgium’s national ice hockey team. Maccabi Tel Aviv aims to leverage their expertise to enhance the team’s competitive edge in the upcoming season.