Yossi Benayoun has explained that signing for West Ham United was the best decision of his football career, despite being best remembered at Liverpool.
The 44-year-old was a productive and versatile attacking midfielder during his football career, playing for a host of Premier League clubs in his prime, but Benayoun saw the most playing time in his three-year spell at Anfield between 2007 and 2010. Under the legendary Rafael Benitez the Israeli international scored 29 goals and 19 assists in 134 games, writing his name in Premier League history. books.
However, Benayoun recently admitted that his first contract with West Ham – which he left to join Liverpool – was the best football decision he ever made, two years before his arrival in the North West. The retired footballer recently explained: “First I want to say that I think this was the best decision of my career.
“I'm not saying it because you know it – I'm not trying to,” pointing to the fact he did an interview with a West Ham-centric outlet. He added: “Really, the best decision because when I played in Spain, you know, with my body – you know I'm not that strong. I don't have the muscles, it's mostly bones.
“Everyone said in Spain that this is my type of football, and I should stay in Spain. I got a lot of criticism in Israel when I left Spain, and they said I would never be successful in England. And I think the fact that I signing for West Ham – and not just in the Premier League, especially with West Ham – was the best decision,” he told West Ham Network.
Benayoun also noted that Alan Pardew and his fellow Hammers teammates at the time helped him develop as a footballer, explaining: “Because with Alan Pardew at the time and the players who were at the club, it was perfect for me to improve.” football.”
Benayoun bounced between the youth systems of Hapoel Dimona, Ajax and Hapoel Be'er Sheva before signing his first professional contract for the latter in 1997. He scored 17 goals and had one assist in his debut season with the Israeli side before being picked up by Maccabi Haifa.
During a successful four-year spell at the club, he signed for Racing Santander in 2002, before West Ham came calling in 2005. Benayoun left East London with just eight goals and assists to his name, but managed to help the Hammers to a runners-up finish. He finished in the 2005/06 FA Cup before signing for Liverpool in 2007.
Three years at the Reds under Benitez attracted interest from Chelsea in 2010, with Benayoun winning the Europa League in 2012/13 despite making just 24 appearances for the Blues in three years. Instead, he enjoyed a loan spell at another London club, Arsenal. and then back to West Ham. Queens Park Rangers between 2013 and 2014 would be Benayoun's last spell in the world of English football and London, after which he returned to Maccabi Haifa.
Benayoun went on to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Petah Tikva either side of two stints at Beitar Jerusalem, before hanging up his boots for good in April 2019. He also enjoyed a wealth of international football with Israel, scoring 24 goals in his 103 appearances. performances for the nation – not bad at all from the Israeli Footballer of the Year 00/01.
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