Tal was born in
Berlin as Rainer Grünthal to composer
Josef Tal and his wife Rosie. At the age of three the family immigrated to
Palestine and settled in 1936 in
Jerusalem. His parents divorced and Tal lived with his mother in Jerusalem, and later, between 1944 and 1948, in the
UK, where his mother studied
Physical therapy. Upon returning to Palestine, Tal joined
Hapoel Jerusalem while also competing with the club's
athletics team, winning the
1500 meters run in the 1949 national youth athletics championship. and playing
football with
Hapoel Balfouria. Tal played with the team as it was promoted the
Liga Alef, the top division at the time and was the top scorer for the club during its stint in the top division. Tal also studied
Physical education at the
Wingate Institute and worked as a sports teach at the regional school. ==Honours==