Ex-Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal star Yossi Benayoun survives grenade attack

Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Yossi Benayoun survived a frightening grenade attack on his home in Israel at the weekend.

Benayoun, 44, was inside the house, along with his family, when a person on a motorbike pulled up outside the property and launched a device through the door.

According to reports in Israel, the resulting explosion caused ‘minor damage’ to the entrance of the building but nobody was seriously hurt in the blast.

Emergency services rushed to the Beyanoun residence in Ramat Hasharon, situated just north of Tel Aviv, at around 11pm on Sunday night and a police investigation is now underway.

Reports say the incident is being treated as a criminal attack rather than a terrorist event.

Benayoun, who made 194 appearances in the Premier League, has said he suspects the terrifying attack was a case of mistake identity.

‘This is definitely a mistake – I have no doubt that the grenade was not aimed at my house,’ he said.

‘At first I thought it was a gas cylinder explosion and we called the fire department.

‘It was only when the police arrived at the house and found the remains of a grenade that we realised what really happened.’

A police statement read: ‘The police hotline received a report of hearing an explosion outside a house.

‘Police from the Glilot station arrived at the scene and began an investigation.

‘As a result of the explosion, damage was caused. There were no casualties.’

Benayoun is widely considered to be one of the finest Israeli players in the history of the game and is fondly remembered by fans of Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers.

The diminutive playmaker, capped 102 times by the Israel, was a part of Chelsea’s squad that won the Europa League trophy at the end of the 2012/13 season.

In 2006, Benayoun was on the losing side as Steven Gerrard produced one of the great FA Cup final performances to drag Liverpool to victory over West Ham.

After a second spell with Beitar Jerusalem in 2019, Benayoun announced his retirement from football, bringing an end to a career spanning over two decades.

‘It’s important for me to thank the fans, the ones who gave me love wherever I went,’ Benayoun told his followers on Instagram at the time.

‘I am sure that the next chapter will be challenging and no less exciting.

‘There are moments I’ll take with me for life.’

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