David "Dedi" Ben Dayan (; born November 22, 1978) is a retired Israeli football defender.

Biography

Playing career

Ben Dayan started his career at

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

, where he saw limited action over the span of 5 seasons. After a break out 2000–01 season, Ben Dayan was called up to the

Israel national football team The Israel national football team () represents Israel in men's international Association football, football, and is governed by the Israel Football Association. They have been members of the European Confederation UEFA since 1994. Israel qua ...

by then manager,

Richard Møller Nielsen Richard Møller Nielsen (19 August 1937 – 13 February 2014) was a Danish football player and manager. He coached the Denmark national football team that won the UEFA Euro 1992 tournament. In 1995, he was awarded a gold version of the Medal of ...

, for a friendly against

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. His most successful club season though was in 2001–02 when he started and helped the club win the

Israel State Cup The Israel State Cup (, ''Gvia HaMedina''), is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israel Football Association (IFA). The State Cup was first held in 1928 as the People's Cup. Because it involves clubs of all standards ...

having not played a single fixture in the club's previous cup title. In 2002, Ben Dayan was transferred to Hapoel Petah Tikva where he would start each match but was unimpressive, usually being the first player substituted. He moved on to

Hapoel Kfar Saba Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C. (, ''Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Kfar Saba'') is an Israeli football club based in Kfar Saba. The club competes in the Liga Leumit and plays home matches at Levita Stadium. History The club was established in 1928. In 1951– ...

but after the club was relegated and Ben Dayan was left in 2003 looking for a new club in a little less than a year. Ben Dayan would head south to

Be'er Sheva Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most po ...

to join

Hapoel Hapoel (, ) is an Israeli Jewish sports association established in 1926 by the Histadrut Labor Federation. History During the Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate of Palestine period Hapoel had a bitter rivalry with Maccabi World Union, Maccab ...

for the 2003–04 season. There he would revive his career playing under

Eli Guttman Israel "Eli" Guttman (or Gutman, ; born 24 February 1958) is an Israeli former football player and manager who most recently managed Maccabi Haifa, before officially announcing his retirement from the football world, stating health issues as the m ...

. This even led to him getting a second chance to play on the national team, but he only featured in two friendlies against

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

and

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

Move to the United States

After two seasons in Be'er Sheva, Ben Dayan became the second

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i ever to play in the United States' top football league,

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

, when he signed a one-year contract with

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

(the other was Guy Melamed who was released on a free transfer shortly after Ben Dayan's arrival). When his first season ended, Ben Dayan had proven his worth to Colorado manager,

Fernando Clavijo Fernando Caetano Clavijo Cedrés (January 23, 1956 – February 8, 2019) was a Uruguayan-American soccer defender and former head coach of the New England Revolution and Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. He played three seasons in the ...

, and was signed to a three-year contract estimated at $120,000 per annum. During his time there, when Ben Dayan would score a goal for Colorado at

INVESCO Field Empower Field at Mile High is an American football stadium in Denver, Colorado. Its primary tenant is the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). It opened in 2001 to replace the Broncos' original home, the old Mile High Stadium. T ...

, he would generally run to his family in Colorado who would throw him the Israeli flag.

Return to Israel

Ben Dayan returned to Israel to play for

Maccabi Netanya Maccabi Netanya F.C. () is an Israeli professional football club based in Netanya. Established in 1934, the club was a founding member of the Israeli League in 1949. After winning their first championship in 1971, the club's golden period last ...

in August 2006. He stated that he asked to return due to the

Second Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...

and wanted to be closer to his family. Following his return to Israeli soccer with Maccabi Netanya, it was noted by the media that his play had improved dramatically from the time he left for the MLS in 2005. When interviewed by reporters, Ben Dayan credited this improvement to the quicker pace and more physical game of the MLS, as well as its state of the art training facilities.

Move to Cyprus and back to Israel

In January 2012, Ben Dayan moved to Cyprus side

AC Omonia Athletic Club Omonia Nicosia (; ''Athlitikós Sýllogos Omónoia Lefkosías''), commonly known as Omonia Nicosia, or simply Omonia (also Romanization of Greek, transliterated as Omonoia), is a Cyprus, Cypriot professional multi-sport club, esta ...

until the end of the season, before moving back to Israel to play for

Hapoel Acre Hapoel Acre Football Club (, ''Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Akko'') is an Israeli professional football club based in Acre. Incorporated in 1946 the club competes in Liga Leumit. History Founded in 1946, the club dwelt in the lower leagues until the ...

. In the 2013-14 season Ben Dayan played for

Bnei Sakhnin Bnei Sakhnin F.C. (, , ) is an Israeli professional football club based at the Doha Stadium in Sakhnin. They are the most successful club among the Arab-Israeli clubs in the country, having won the State Cup in 2004. History Early years Bn ...

, the following season he signed a one-year contract with

Maccabi Petah Tikva Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C. (; "Maccabi Avshalom Ironi Petah Tikva F.C., ) is an Israeli professional football club based in the city of Petah Tikva. It is part of the Maccabi World Union for international Jewish sports clubs. The club is the c ...

. In November 2015, Ben Dayan signed a two years contract with Maccabi Sha'arayim from

Liga Alef Liga Alef () is the third tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into two regional divisions, north and south. History League football began in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Howe ...

(third tier), which meant that for first time in his career he won't be playing in a top flight league.

Personal life

Ben Dayan is

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish. While playing for the Colorado Rapids, Ben Dayan was dismayed that he had to miss a league match due to its falling out on

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

. After seven years of dating, Ben Dayan married Dana Farkash at the Royal Garden Hotel in Eilat, Israel in a Jewish ceremony. Among the guests were numerous Israeli celebrities and professional footballers.

Honours

Toto Cup The Israel Toto Cup (, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League Ligat ha'Al, Ligat Ha'Al; and the Israeli 2nd division Liga Leumit. Both of the ...

(1): **1998–99 *

(4): **2001, 2002, 2010, 2011 *

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

(1): **2009–10 *

Cypriot Cup The Cypriot Cup, formally known as the Cypriot Coca-Cola Cup of First and Second Division () for sponsorship purposes, is a Cypriot knockout football club competition, hosted annually by the Cyprus Football Association. First held in 1934, it i ...

(1): **

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Footnotes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ben Dayan, Dedi 1978 births Living people Jewish Israeli sportspeople Israeli men's footballers Israel men's international footballers Israel men's under-21 international footballers Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. players Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C. players Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C. players Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. players Colorado Rapids players Maccabi Netanya F.C. players Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. players AC Omonia players Hapoel Acre F.C. players Bnei Sakhnin F.C. players Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C. players Maccabi Sha'arayim F.C. players Liga Leumit players Israeli Premier League players Major League Soccer players Cypriot First Division players Israeli expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Israeli expatriate sportspeople in the United States Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent Footballers from Holon Men's association football fullbacks