Yossi Benayoun

At 44 years old, Yossi Benayoun has this physical status:

Yossi Benayoun (born 5 May 1980) is a retired Israeli professional footballer who played for Beitar Jerusalem and captained Israel's national team.

He played as an attacking midfielder, often taking up the same space as the striker.

He was born in Dimona and is often referred to as "The Diamond from Dimona" in Israel. Before heading to Racing de Santander in Spain, Benayoun served for Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Maccabi Haifa.

He played for West Ham United and then Liverpool in the Premier League three years ago and later became manager of Liverpool.

He signed for Chelsea in 2010, but the 2012-13 European Football Championships champion retained him, being loaned to Arsenal and back to West Ham.

He was cut by the club and spent a season with Queens Park Rangers in the Football League Championships before returning to Maccabi Haifa. Benayoun, Israel's most capped player of all time with 102 caps and their joint second best scorer with 24 international goals, has been a full international for twenty years from 1998 to 2018. Benayoun is currently the sport director for Beitar Jerusalem, the team he last played for.

Early life

Benayoun was born in Dimona, Israel, to a family of Sephardic Jewish (Moroccan-Jewish) descent. Dudu Benayoun, his father, was a footballer who competed for Hapoel Dimona as well.

Benayoun's talent was discovered at the age of nine, according to Jason Burt of The Independent. He was dubbed a genius at the age of 11, and by 13, his image was on Israeli newspapers' front pages. Benayoun began to play with Hapoel Be'er Sheva. He and his dad survived the 60 kilometers round trip to attend training.

Benayoun and his family were welcomed to the Netherlands by Ajax when he was 15 years old. He was the best scorer and best player on Ajax youth team by his 16th birthday, and Ajax has extended Benayoun a four-year professional deal, and Ajax has told him he was the Ajax youth team's top scorer and best player. However, Benayoun and his family found the transition to Amsterdam difficult, and the two families returned to Israel after eight months.

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Football career

He was promoted to the Hapoel Be'er Sheva senior team for the 1997–98 Liga Leumit, but he could not prevent the club from being relegated to Israel's second division at the age of 16. Benayoun scored a penalty kick in the 90th minute in the season's last match against Maccabi Haifa. Nir Davidovich, Haifa's goalkeeper, saved the shot, but Benayoun scored the back-to- win his team. However, their relegation rival had won their match, ensuring that his squad would be relegated nonetheless. Benayoun discovered the relegation and burst into tears seconds after scoring, while celebrating the victory and what he hoped to be a league survival goal. With 15 goals in 25 appearances, Benayoun finished as the league's joint fourth-leading goalscorer of the season.

Benayoun left Maccabi Haifa, according to Ya'akov Shahar (Maccabi Haifa's president) and Eli Zino (the former President of Be'er Sheva), and it was agreed that the two clubs would divide the proceeds from selling Benayoun to a European club after that season.

Benayoun and Haifa were in the quarterfinals of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1998, under Dusan Uhrin's direction, and also against SV Ried in a 4–1 victory.

In 29 games for Haifa in the 1998–99 Liga Leumit, Benayoun scored 16 goals, finishing as the equal eighth leading goalscorer for his team.

When Benayoun reportedly refused to be substituted during a match, he confronted his coach Eli Cohen in 1999. Cohen resigned after this incident, as well as a rough month for the club. Benayoun scored 19 goals in 38 matches for Maccabi Haifa in the first Israeli Premier League since 1999 (this league took over the Liga Leumit, which later became the second tier of club football).

After scoring 13 goals in 37 matches under Avram Grant's leadership, Haifa defeated them to their first championship in seven years. He was voted the league's sixth top goalscorer after another productive season.

Despite suffering from an injury at the start of the season, Benayoun helped Maccabi Haifa win another championship. When he returned to action, he teamed well with ovani Roso, Raimondas utautas, and Yakubu to win the championship. Benayoun scored 7 times in 33 games during his last season with Maccabi Haifa.

Benayoun made 130 appearances for Haifa, scoring 55 goals.

Benayoun first played in 31 matches in Spain's La Liga in 2002, scoring five goals in 31 matches (2002–03 La Liga), including a hat-trick against Deportivo La Corua in a 4–1 away win.

He made 101 appearances for Racing, scoring 21 goals.

Benayoun was sold by Santander to his agents Pini Zahavi and Ronen Katsav for €3.5 million. Benayoun turned down a €5 million move to CSKA Moscow, preferring a transfer to England or staying in Spain. This generated a great deal of curiosity in the player with Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Bolton Wanderers, Real Sociedad, and Deportivo La Coru, who were considered probable suitors.

West Ham United, a newly promoted FA Premier League team, completed the signing of Benayoun in July 2005 for a £2.5 million fee, with Benayoun's four-year deal. Benayoun's ability to 'open the door when teams meet,' manager Alan Pardew praised the signing, while Benayoun expressed his delight at the prospect of playing for West Ham and in the Premiership.

In West Ham's 3–1 victory, he made his Premiership debut in the 2005–06 season (13 August 2005 against Blackburn Rovers). In a 4–0 home win over Aston Villa on September 12, 2005, he scored his first Premiership goal for the club.

Benayoun played in the 2006 FA Cup Final for West Ham against Liverpool in Cardiff, losing on penalties after a 3–3 draw. In his first season with West Ham, Benayoun scored five times in 34 league games, with three goals in 29 appearances in his second season. West Ham's last game was a 1–0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on May 13, 2007, a match in which West Ham avoided relegation following a single goal from Carlos Tevez.

Benayoun left Liverpool under tumultuous circumstances. He had verbally agreed to a new four-year contract with West Ham in May 2007, but later decided against it in the hopes of moving to Liverpool. The uproar began on July 10th when Israeli media announced that Benayoun's agent, Ronen Katsav, had agreed a contract with Liverpool, potentially earning Benayoun less money than the £50,000 a week West Ham received in May. Liverpool announced on their official website on July 12 that the signing of Yossi Benayoun had ended, resulting in a five-year contract.

On July 13th, Benayoun was introduced as a Liverpool player alongside Ryan Babel, and the number 11 shirt was given to him. In the UEFA Champions League qualifier 3rd leg, he got off to a good start against Toulouse. Liverpool's first goal came against Reading in the League Cup on September 25, 2007, when he scored against Reading in the League Cup for the first time. Yossi scored his second hat trick against a mismatched opponent in his first season against Havant & Waterlooville in the FA Cup, a team 122 places behind Liverpool on the league pyramid. Benayoun scored a hat trick in Liverpool's 8–0 victory over the Istanbul team on November 7, 2007 in UEFA Champions League home game against Beşiktaş in the Group Stage. Benayoun came to an end in a fruitful first season, scoring 11 goals, including four goals against Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, and Birmingham City.

However, his efforts were not enough to prevent transfer rumors in the summer of 2008. "Liverpool is great for me, and it was always clear that I want to stay, and Liverpool loves me," Yossi said, although his number 15 shirt was vacated when he transferred to Portsmouth in 2008. During his first season with the club, Benayoun had worn the number 11 but decided to his new number 15, the number he wore for Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Maccabi Haifa, Racing de Santander, West Ham United, and Israel.

In Liverpool's 3–1 victory over Blackburn on December 6, 2008, Benayoun scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season.

Benayoun had a header against Fábio Aurélio's free-kick in the 82nd minute against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on February 25, 2009, giving Liverpool a 1–0 victory. This is undoubtedly the most significant goal he has achieved in his career to date. "To score in the Champions League was a thrill." It was one of my career's most awaited goals... I am really proud to have scored at the Bernabeu, but Benayoun said after the game, "the most important thing was to have the victory."

Benayoun was forced to play as a substitute in Liverpool's match against Fulham on April 4, 2009, resulting in a dramatic winner in the 94th minute. In a home match against Arsenal on April 21, 2009, he scored a diving header and volleyed a late equalizer in injury time, bringing the score level to 4–4.

Benayoun completed his second season at Anfield in a spectacular manner, scoring a goal in each of Liverpool's last three home matches. Benayoun played in 39 games, scoring 9 goals against Wigan, Blackburn, Newcastle, Sunderland, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Tottenham Hotspur, and a brace against Arsenal. In the second half of the season, he earned a regular starting position in the Liverpool team.

He signed a two-year contract extension on July 6, 2009, tying him to the club until 2013.

Liverpool beat Burnley 4–0 on September 12, 2009, he scored his first Premier League hat-trick. He was the first to score Premiership, Champions League, and FA Cup hat tricks, but Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane followed him. In Liverpool's 3–0 victory over West Ham, he scored the first goal.

In the 2009-10 UEFA Europa League semi-finals against Atlético Madrid, Benayoun's last goal for the club was defeated. Benayoun scored in extra time to give Liverpool a 2–1 aggregate lead before Diego Forlán scored to put the Spanish side through.

Benayoun agreed to a three-year contract with Chelsea on July 2nd and stayed with the Stamford Bridge club until spring 2013. Both clubs agreed to a £5.5 million price for the transfer of the Israeli winger's services. "I am extremely excited to join a club like Chelsea, it is a major club, and I think it is a dream for every player," he said on the club's official website. We're hoping for a fruitful journey."

Benayoun made his debut against Eintracht Frankfurt in a pre-season friendly before losing by 3–1 against Manchester United in the 2010 FA Community Shield, with left-winger Florent Malouda playing in the 72nd minute. In a 6–0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic in the 93rd minute, Benayoun scored his first league goal in the 93rd minute. During Chelsea's 4–3 League Cup loss to Newcastle United on September 22, Benayoun ruptured his achilles. Benayoun recovered well from his injury and was playing in the second half against Wigan Athletic on April 9, 2011.

Benayoun gave Juan Mata his number 10 shirt on August 26, 2011. "I decided to give Mata the number 10 – his favorite," Benayoun said. It's just a number, not my lucky 15." (Florent Malouda at the time was number 15) Mata wore the shirt for Valencia, but he expressed his admiration to Benayoun while skipping Spain's Under 21s in the summer. "It's a very important number to me, so I'm delighted to be wearing it." "I want to thank Yossi," he said.

Benayoun screamed repeatedly from the Malaysian audience every time he touched the ball during the 2011 Tour of Asia. "The occasion was soured by repeated insults by Israel midfielder Benayoun by the 85,000-strong crowd," another source said "Muslim-majority Malaysia is a stead supporter of the Palestinians and has no diplomatic relations with Israel." "Throughout his appearance for the first half of the friendly, the midfielder was mocked."

Benayoun had signed Arsenal on a one-year loan contract as he began to see potential at Chelsea limited on August 31, 2011. Benayoun made his debut against Swansea City on September 10, 2011 as a second-half replacement for Andrei Arshavin. In the 78th minute of a League Cup match against Shrewsbury Town on September 20, Benayoun scored his first goal for Arsenal. In a 3–1 loss to Olympiacos, Benayoun scored his first Champions League goal for Arsenal. Arsenal beat Aston Villa in the Premier League for his first Premier League goal, scoring an 87th-minute header in a 2–1 win on November 21, 2011.

But overall it was a nice experience"

On February 26, 2012, Benayoun kicked Tottenham Hotspur off the field. After being 2–0 down, Gervinho came out in the 88th minute, earning a standing ovation from the Arsenal faithful. He started against his old club Liverpool on March 3rd, 2012, before being replaced in the 74th minute by Gervinho. Arsenal defeated Arsenal 2–1. He started the game against Manchester City on April 8, 2012 and almost had a chance to score in the second half but then saw his stabbing shot be deflection, which then fell off the post. Aaron Ramsey was substituted in the second half of the match against Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal supporters gave him a standing ovation as leaving the pitch. Arsenal defeated the game 1–0 thanks to a late Mikel Arteta penalty. Arsenal defeated Wolves 3–0, a victory that lifted Arsenal's position in third as a result of a five-point difference in the five games remaining, with two goals remaining. In Arsenal's last home game of the season, he opened scoring against Norwich, ending 3–3 and then scoring in the match against West Bromwich Albion, a South London rivals. Tottenham Hotspur finished fourth, beating Tottenham Hotspur, who placed fourth. Benayoun appeared in 19 league games for Arsenal, scoring four goals in total.

Benayoun returned to West Ham United on loan for the 2012–13 season, marking their eleventh signing of the transfer window. He sustained an injury while playing against Newcastle United in November and pulled a ligament after returning to training. He appeared in no further games for West Ham and returned to Chelsea in December 2012. He had only played six games on loan with West Ham.

On October 10, 2013, Benayoun joined Queens Park Rangers until the end of the 2013–14 season. In a league match against Leicester City on a 0–1 loss, he made his debut against him in a 0–1 loss. Tom Carroll was replaced by him in a 69th-minute replacement. On a trip to Middlesbrough on March 22, he scored his first goal for the club on a trip to equalize, which QPR won 1–3. He scored his second goal for the club three days later against Wigan Athletic in a 1–0 home victory over Wigan Athletic, but he was also suspended for second bookable offence at the end of the game.

It was officially announced on June 6, 2014, that Benayoun would return to Maccabi Haifa on a two-year contract worth US$1 million. Benayoun was named team's captain after he took over for injured veteran Yaniv Katan, who retired from football. Maccabi Haifa did not do well in the premier league in his two seasons, with Benayoun scoring 5 and 6 goals respectively, but the Israel State Cup was won after 18 years. However, Benayoun had some altercations with the fans, and after Haifa won the cup, Benayoun announced that he would leave Haifa and join longtime rival Maccabi Tel Aviv FC.

Benayoun spent one season with Maccabi Tel Aviv FC, scoring only one league goal and never winning any medal.

Benayoun joined Beitar Jerusalem in the beginning of 2017. He started well, scoring 3 league goals with Beitar, the league's best players, but he lost his spot in the first squad and had played very little in January. As a result, he left Beitar and joined Maccabi Petah Tikva. He returned to Beitar Jerusalem in 2019 after a brief stay with Maccabi Petah Tikva.

Benayoun resigned from football in April 2019.

International career

Benayoun was a member of the Israel U16 team that finished third in the 1996 European Under-16 Championships.

On Saturday, Israel defeated Portugal in a friendly that resulted in a 2–0 away loss. He made his senior debut for Israel against Portugal in a friendly, which resulted in a 2–0 away loss. In a UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier against San Marino at Ramat Gan Stadium, Benayoun scored his first international hat-trick. Israel won 8–0.

Benayoun became the leading player of Israel's national team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after equalizing against Cyprus at home (in a game that ended 2–1 to Israel) and scoring twice against Switzerland. After Nir Davidovich saved a crucial goal in a home game in Cyprus, Benayoun helped score the winning goal. Israel's strong showings in qualifying for the World Cup gave them a shot at qualifying, but they missed out on goal difference.

Benayoun was given the captaincy of Israel's national team right before the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers. Benayoun has scored two goals in eight appearances in the qualifiers. In a 3–1 victory over Malta on September 2, 2010, Benayoun scored his second international hat-trick against Malta. Benayoun is Israel's most captained player with 102 caps and their joint third top scorer with 24 international goals.

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