Yossi Benayoun

Yosef Shai ‘Yossi’ Benayoun is an Israel international football player who currently features for the English Premier League club West Ham United on loan from Chelsea. He plays as a right sided attacking midfielder and is the captain of the Israeli national football team.

Benayoun started his club career at Kapoel Be’er Sheva in 1997 and after one season moved to Maccabi Haifa where he played with massive success.

In the summer of 2002, Benayoun was signed by Spanish side Racing Santander. He was again a success at Racing and was signed by West Ham United in the summer of 2005 for 2.5 million pounds on a four-year contract. The Israeli was again a huge success at Upton Park and played 63 Premier League fixtures between 2005 and 2007.

In the summer of 2007, Liverpool signed the player for 10 million pounds. He was a good player for the Reds in the 2007-2008 season as he appeared in 30 league matches. In the summer Chelsea landed Benayoun but he missed a major chunk of the season with injury.

Benayoun moved to Arsenal on loan for the 2011-12 season, but failed to make a huge impact at the Emirates Stadium, scoring four goals in 19 Premier League appearances. He joined West Ham United on loan for the 2012-13 season.

Benayoun made his international debut for Israel in 1998 and has featured in more than 85 matches for his nation, scoring over 20 goals.