Former Premier League star 'survives grenade attack on home'
8 April 2025, 13:03
A former Premier League footballer had a grenade thrown at his home in Israel.
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Yossi Benayoun, who played for Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, West Ham and Queen's Park Rangers in a nine-year spell, said he thought the weekend attack was a case of mistaken identity.
"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.”
Benayoun's house is near Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel.
Israeli police said in a statement: "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 one of the most successful Israeli footballers of all time, turning out 134 times for Liverpool, 72 times for West Ham and nearly 50 times across spells at Chelsea and Arsenal.
He has a Europa League winner's medal from his time at Stamford Bridge.
The attacking midfielder also played 102 times for his country, and began and ended his career with stints at several Israeli clubs.
Benayoun also played over 100 times for Racing Santander in Spain.
He recently returned to Anfield to play for a Liverpool legends side.
