Former Hammer Yossi Benayoun has announced his retirement from football.
The Israeli 38-year-old who finished his career with Beitar Jerusalem, played 69 times for West Ham over two spells.
He made his West Ham debut in 2005 under Alan Pardew joining for £2.5m from Racing de Santander
“It’s important for me to thank the fans, the ones who gave me love wherever I went,” Benayoun, who scored 24 times for Israel, said on Instagram.
“I am sure that the next chapter will be challenging and no less exciting.
“There are moments [from my football career] I’ll take with me for life.”
The midfielder spent two years at West Ham before moving to Liverpool in 2007 in a £5m deal, staying for three seasons before switching to Chelsea for the same price tag.
Loan spells at Arsenal and West Ham followed before he moved to Championship side Queens Park Rangers in 2013. Benayoun ended his time playing in England by signing with Israeli side Maccabi Haifa in 2014, a club he originally played for between 1998-2002.
