Yossi Shai Benayoun

Yossi Benayoun, who turned 30 in May, spent three seasons at Liverpool having first moved to the Premier League in 2005 when he joined West Ham.

As a schoolboy back in his native Israel, his talent was spotted early and played for the national youth team. He was invited to The Netherlands to join the famous Ajax Academy at the age of 15.

He continued to play for Israel Youth and scored two goals in a match against England with a teenage Michael Owen in opposition, but decided to return to his homeland to begin his senior career at the age of 17 with Hapoel Ber-Sheva.

He moved to Maccabi Haifa a year later where he was top scorer in his first season. Halfway during his four years at the club Benayoun teamed up for the first time with Avram Grant, the future Chelsea manager coaching the side to back-to-back league championships, the first of which was their first title in seven years. It earned Benayoun the Player of the Year award.

Grant would also manage Benayoun for the national team and during his time at Chelsea described him as Israel's best talent.

With the player having completed national service, Europe's big leagues came calling in 2002 and he left Maccabi Haifa having scored 55 goals in 130 appearances, moving to Spain to play for Racing Santander. He was a major reason why one of the smaller clubs in the Primera Liga avoided relegation.

He scored nine goals in 35 league games in his final season at Racing, and 21 goals in 101 matches in all, before the cash-strapped club sold him to West Ham for £2.5 million.

Last season he started 29 games, scoring nine goals including a late one against Atletico Madrid at Anfield that looked to have put Liverpool into the Europa League Final before Diego Forlan's even later winner.

Benayoun's final Liverpool match was their 2-0 home defeat by Chelsea in May. In total he played 92 times for the club and netted 18 times.

Standing 5ft 8in tall, accomplished in one-on-one situations and with a good eye for a pass, he can play wide or as a central attacking midfielder.He captains the Israeli national team.

Taking in his new surroundings, the creative midfielder is already beginning to feel at home.

'Everything looks lovely, it is a great training ground and you can see it is one of the best clubs in the world from the way the people here treat you,' he said.

'I met a few of the staff and the players I know a little bit from playing. It is a good challenge for me and I am ready for it.'

'I had offers from a few teams, but when Chelsea came in for me it was the obvious and only thing to think about, and I am glad it came out in the end.'

His last appearance at Anfield was actually against Chelsea on May 2, when our 2-0 win brought the title another step closer.

Yossi has taken well to life at Chelsea, scoring in his second appearance from the bench away at Wigan, before impressing in his first start, a 4-1 Champions League win in Zilina. However injury against Newcastle in the Carling Cup saw him limp off as we lost 4-3 to a late goal.