Yossi Benayoun
Nationality :
Israeli
Date of Birth :
05/05/1980
Dimona, Israel
Height :
5' 10" (178cm)
Weight :
11st 0lbs (70.0kg)
Squad No :
10
Previous Clubs :
West Ham Utd, Liverpool, R. Santander
Position :
Midfielder
Yossi Benayoun, who turned 30 in May, spent three seasons at Liverpool having first moved to the Premier League in 2005 when he joined West Ham.
As a schoolboy back in his native Israel, his talent was spotted early and played for the national youth team. He was invited to The Netherlands to join the famous Ajax Academy at the age of 15.
He continued to play for Israel Youth and scored two goals in a match against England with a teenage Michael Owen in opposition, but decided to return to his homeland to begin his senior career at the age of 17 with Hapoel Ber-Sheva.
He moved to Maccabi Haifa a year later where he was top scorer in his first season. Halfway during his four years at the club Benayoun teamed up for the first time with Avram Grant, the future Chelsea manager coaching the side to back-to-back league championships, the first of which was their first title in seven years. It earned Benayoun the Player of the Year award.
Grant would also manage Benayoun for the national team and during his time at Chelsea described him as Israel's best talent.
With the player having completed national service, Europe's big leagues came calling in 2002 and he left Maccabi Haifa having scored 55 goals in 130 appearances, moving to Spain to play for Racing Santander. He was a major reason why one of the smaller clubs in the Primera Liga avoided relegation.
He scored nine goals in 35 league games in his final season at Racing, and 21 goals in 101 matches in all, before the cash-strapped club sold him to West Ham for £2.5 million.
The Hammers were freshly promoted under Alan Pardew and enjoyed a good campaign, finishing ninth and reaching the FA Cup Final where they were unfortunate to concede a late equaliser and then lose on penalties to Benayoun's next club.
He played one more season at Upton Park, taking his club totals to eight goals in 63 league appearances, before a £5 million move to Anfield. He replaced Luis Garcia who moved back to Spain as part of the transfer deal that saw Fernando Torres join Liverpool.
Benayoun enjoyed a run of starts towards Christmas of his first season there but it took until the second half of the 2008/09 campaign with Liverpool challenging for the title before Rafael Benitez appeared to consider him a first choice. He rewarded his manager with seven goals in 14 league matches during the run-in as the Mersysiders finished second.
In a 2-0 defeat of Chelsea at Anfield in February 2009 he supplied the ball for Torres's second goal, and was the recipient of a high challenge from Jose Bosingwa by the corner flag for which the Chelsea defender apologised.
Last season he started 29 games, scoring nine goals including a late one against Atletico Madrid at Anfield that looked to have put Liverpool into the Europa League Final before Diego Forlan's even later winner.
Benayoun's final Liverpool match was their 2-0 home defeat by Chelsea in May. In total he played 92 times for the club and netted 18 times.
Standing 5ft 8in tall, accomplished in one-on-one situations and with a good eye for a pass, he can play wide or as a central attacking midfielder.He captains the Israeli national team.
Having completed his move from Liverpool on the 1st July, Benayoun has explained how he cannot wait to begin his Chelsea career.
Taking in his new surroundings, the creative midfielder is already beginning to feel at home.
'Everything looks lovely, it is a great training ground and you can see it is one of the best clubs in the world from the way the people here treat you,' he said.
'I met a few of the staff and the players I know a little bit from playing. It is a good challenge for me and I am ready for it.'
Having represented Liverpool eight times against us over the past three seasons, Benayoun is well aware of the qualities his new side possesses.
'There are a lot of good players, big players, for me it is the beginning and I have to work hard and prove I can bring something to this club,' he explained. 'The only thing I can promise is I will work hard and do my best, and hopefully it will be good enough.
'I had offers from a few teams, but when Chelsea came in for me it was the obvious and only thing to think about, and I am glad it came out in the end.'
His last appearance at Anfield was actually against Chelsea on May 2, when our 2-0 win brought the title another step closer.
'The last home game I knew it would be my last for Liverpool, I tried to do my best but Chelsea were strong,' he recalled.
'All the years here in England, five years, Chelsea were always a difficult side to play against with big players and that's why they are always there at the top fighting for trophies, that's why I am glad to be a part of it now.'
Yossi has taken well to life at Chelsea, scoring in his second appearance from the bench away at Wigan, before impressing in his first start, a 4-1 Champions League win in Zilina. However a calf injury against Newcastle in the Carling Cup saw him limp off as we lost 4-3 to a late goal.
Upon his recovery, Yossi reported for duty with the Israeli national side, but was forced to return to Chelsea after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. He is expected to miss six months of action.
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