The Top Twenty Five Jews In The World Of Football – Part 4
Tal Ben-Haim: This is an Israeli defender who plays for West Ham United in the English Premier league and is currently on loan. He has made fifty six appearances for his country and started his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Ben Haim moved to the Premiership in 2004 and has spent time in Sunderland, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea.
Yossi Benayoun: Yossi Benayoun is considered to be the most popular and talented Israeli player out there and plays as a defender for the Blues.
He is thirty years old and has played in the English Premier League since 2005. He was previously a part of Liverpool and West Ham United before joining Chelsea.
Benayoun is called ‘The Diamond from Dimona’ and is the captain of the Israeli national team. He has made eighty international appearances and has scored twenty three goals so far.
Avram Grant: Avram Grant was the Israeli coach of the national team for a long time and led the team to its victories in 2002-06 and is currently the coach of West Ham United in the Premiership.
He has coached almost twenty years in his home country and then was lured to England and the Blues. He managed Chelsea in the English premier league and the Champions league in 2008.
Sadly though he was let go the next season and went onto Portsmouth after playing a tough year. The coach left the team when it got relegated and then Grant went on to sign a four year deal with West Ham.
Avram Grant once told a reporter in an interview that most of his family was dead and they died in the Holocaust. He had to bury his brothers, sisters and parents with his own two hands and his father who was a native of Poland was deported to Siberia during
World War II.
Jose Pekerman: Another famous Jewish coach that makes the list is Jose Pekerman. He was holding the reins for the Argentinean National team in the 2006 World Cup and led the country’s youth team to three FIFA World Youth Championship victories.
Walter Samuel: Walter Samuel is a solid defender from Argentina and has left his mark on both the national team and his club.
He is thirty two years old and has made fifty appearances for Albiceleste, he has also put in time with Real Madrid and Roma. In 2005 Samuel went to Inter Milan and helped lead the club into the Champions League, Coppa Italia crowns and Serie A titles.
Juan Pablo Sorin: Another Argentinean Jewish defender that was always recognized on the field because of his long hair was Juan Pablo Sorin.
He has seventy six appearances and has scored twelve goals. He has deadly air scoring skills, and his attacks always strike fear in the opposing team.
He plays as a wing defender mostly and played in both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups for the Argentinean national team. Also was also the captain of the 2006 World Cup squad.
He has played more than fifteen years as a pro footballer and has spent time in the biggest clubs out there including, Barcelona, Lazio, Villareal, PSG and retired on the first of July 2009 from Sorin.
Daniël de Ridder: Most people don’t know this but the Wigan Athletic, Dutch winger Daniel de Ridder is actually Jewish.
He was born to an Israeli mother and a Dutch father. He is twenty six years old and he has given time into clubs like Celta Vigo from Spain then Ajax, Birmingham City and now plays for Wigan Athletic.
Tags: