Yossi Benayoun Survives Grenade Attack on His Family Home

Former Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal star Yossi Benayoun has survived a horrifying grenade attack on his home in Israel, it has been confirmed. The 44-year-old, who played 194 times in the Premier League and won the Europa League at Stamford Bridge, was uninjured following the incident, which he puts down to mistaken identity.

A report from The Sun states that Benayoun was inside the property with members of his family at the time of the attack, which occurred when a motorcyclist pulled up outside the house and threw a device at the door. The device exploded, triggering a fire as the suspect fled the scene.

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Benayoun Speaks Out After Grenade Attack

At 11 PM on Sunday, emergency responders from the police and fire departments rushed to a residence in Ramat Hasharon, located just north of Tel Aviv. The fire was quickly brought under control.

Authorities are treating the incident as a potential criminal act, rather than an act of terrorism. Israel’ record goalscorer, shaken up by the incident, believes that he was the victim of mistaken identity:

An Israeli police spokesperson addressed the incident, stating, “The police hotline received a report of an explosion heard outside a residence. Officers from the Glilot station responded to the scene and launched an investigation. The explosion caused damage, but fortunately, no one was injured.”

There have been no updates on the arrest of any potential suspects.

After stints in the Ajax youth academy, Benayoun started his professional career in Israel with Hapoel Beer Sheva, before moving to Maccabi Tel Aviv. He earned his first international cap in 1998 and went on to score 24 goals in 102 appearances for his country. His next move took him to Spain, where he joined Racing Santander, before embarking on his journey in English football.

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In 2005, Benayoun signed with West Ham, and by 2007, he made the move to Liverpool. His career continued with stints at Chelsea, Arsenal, a return to West Ham, and QPR. Following that, returned to Israel, where he spent the final three years of his career before retiring in 2019.