Ben Sahar

Infobox Football biography

playername = Ben Sahar בן סהר
fullname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1989|8|10
cityofbirth = Holon
countryofbirth = Israel
height = height|ft=5|in=10
clubnumber = TBA
youthyears = 1999-2006
youthclubs = Hapoel Tel Aviv
currentclub = Portsmouth (on loan from Chelsea)
clubnumber = "26"
position = Winger, Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 2006–
2007
2008
2008–
clubs = Chelsea
→ Queens Park Rangers (loan)
→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)
→ Portsmouth (loan)
caps(goals) = 03 (0)
09 (0)
12 (3)
00 (0)
nationalyears = 2005–2006 2006 2006–2008
2007-present
nationalteam = Israel U17 Israel U18 Israel U21
Israel
nationalcaps(goals) = 06 (5) 01 (0)
08 (3)
011 (3)
pcupdate = 20:16, 22 March 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 23:30, 10 September 2008(UTC)

Ben Sahar ( _he. בן סהר; born 10 August, 1989 in Holon, Israel) is an Israeli footballer contracted to Chelsea, currently on loan at Portsmouth.

Sahar is known as one of Israel's brightest talents, according to Chelsea. At 16, he was already the equivalent of a second year apprentice at Chelsea. [cite web | date = 2005-07-10 | title = New Season's Training Started on Monday | url = http://www.chelseafc.com/article.asp?hlid=402186&m=7&y=2006&nav=news&sub=latest+news | format = HTML | publisher = Chelsea FC | accessdate = 2006-07-13] He first caught Chelsea's eye in an Under-16 fixture against Ireland in 2004 and has since played for the Israeli Under-21 national team and the Israeli national team. Before transferring to Chelsea, Sahar was on the Hapoel Tel Aviv books, and while he was promoted to the first team by the manager Itzhak Shum, Sahar did not feature in any matches due to his transfer being completed before the start of the 2006/07 season.

Sahar's former mentor at Hapoel, youth team coach Eyal Hayit, hailed his goalscoring potential and technical ability: "He is suitable for Europe because he knows how to achieve the goals he sets himself and he is an exceptionally talented player, He is fast and has fantastic physical ability; he scores 30-40 goals a season and his ball skills are something you don't see here every day."cite web | date = 2005-05-31 | title = Chelsea capture Israeli starlet | url = http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=391196&CPID=8&clid=8&lid=2&title=Chelsea+'capture+Israeli+starlet' | format = HTML | publisher = Sky Sports | accessdate = 2006-06-07]

Before coming to Chelsea, he got Polish citizenship (his mother Batya is of Polish-Jewish origin), which grants him an automatic right to play in the UK, as Poland is an EU member state. [cite web | date = 2005-06-01 | title = Chelsea sign Tel Aviv teen | url = http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m16s102&SecId=102&AId=44219&ATypeId=1| format = HTML | publisher = The Jewish Chronicle | accessdate = 2006-06-07]

Playing career

Sahar began playing football in his hometown of Modi'in, Israel. There he was enrolled in the 'Sportop Football Academy', before joining the youth ranks of Hapoel Tel Aviv. [cite news |first=Izzy |last=Ein-Dor |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title= שוקו, לחמניה ובן סהר |url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3421283,00.html |format= |work= |publisher=Yedioth Ahronoth |id= |pages= |page= |date=2007-07-04 |accessdate=2007-07-04 |language=Hebrew |quote= ]

Chelsea

Ben Sahar signed for Chelsea of the Premier League in May 2006 from Hapoel Tel Aviv for £320,000, having previously spent a two-month period on trial at Stamford Bridge.

Sahar was called up to the Chelsea first team to play Macclesfield Town in the FA Cup on January 6, 2007 and made his debut coming on as a substitute for Salomon Kalou in the 76th minute. He made his Premiership debut on January 13, 2007, coming off the bench to replace Arjen Robben in the 82nd minute of the match versus Wigan Athletic [cite web|title=Tactical Formation|work=Football-Lineups.com
url=http://www.football-lineups.com/wiki/_match3155.php | accessdate=2007-07-02] .

Sahar joined Championship side Queens Park Rangers, on loan, for the beginning of the 2007/08 season, on 26 July 2007, for an initial three-month period. He followed this up with two goals in a pre-season friendly against Premier League side Fulham, earning Queens Park Rangers a 2-1 win. Following this, his loan-deal was then extended to 2 January 2008. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/6918120.stm |title=QPR to keep Sahar until January |date 2007-08-08 |accessdate=2007-08-08 |work=BBC Sport] After Sahar returned from an injury-plagued spell at QPR, Sheffield Wednesday completed the signing of Sahar on an initial one-month loan from Chelsea on 21 February 2008. [ [http://www.thestar.co.uk/owls/Sahar-on-way-to-join.3800425.jp.] Retrieved on 9 June 2008.] This was extended until 19 April, [ [http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/0,,10304~1269062,00.html] Retrieved on 9 June 2008.] and again until the end of the season on 4 May 2008. [ [http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/0,,10304~1283821,00.html] Retrieved on 9 June 2008.] Sahar scored his first goal for Sheffield Wednesday against Crystal Palace on 22 March 2008.

On the 12th June 2008 it was reported that he was in Holland to discuss another season long loan with Dutch club NEC Nijmegen [cite web|url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3680935,00.html|title=NEC make Sahar move|date=2008-06-12|accessdate=2008-06-21|publisher=Skysports.com] . However, according to NEC officials a deal couldn't be signed with Sahar due to financial issues. Instead he agreed to a six-month loan deal with FA Cup winners Portsmouth [ [http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m16&SecId=16&AId=60881&ATypeId=1 The Jewish Chronicle - Sahar to play up Pompey ] ] and on July 1 he was officially unveiled as a Portsmouth player. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2008/07/01/ufnsahar101.xml] He scored his first goal for the club in a 5-0 victory over Kano Pillars in the club's pre season tour of Nigeria.

Portsmouth

Sahar joined Premier League side Portsmouth on a six-month loan deal on July 1 2008, and was given the number 26 shirt. [cite news |title=Chelsea loan Sahar to Portsmouth |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/7483632.stm |publisher=BBC |date=2008-07-01 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] [cite news |title=Sahar Joins Pompey |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_slideshow_b3b4_index=&fm_type=all&fm_string=ben%20sahar&qs_articleid=1314&qs_media=html |publisher=Portsmouth F.C. |date=2008-07-01 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] [cite news |title=Portsmouth F.C. First Team Squad |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=squad_players |date=2008-07-01 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] He featured regularly in pre-season for Portsmouth, making 7 appearances and scoring against Nigerian Premier League champions Kano Pillars, Conference South side Havant and Waterlooville, and Southern Football League Division One South & West side Gosport Borough. [cite news |title=Exeter 1-1 Portsmouth Match Report |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_slideshow_b3b4_index=&fm_type=all&fm_string=ben%20sahar&fm_article_page_num=3&qs_media=html&qs_articleid=1349 |publisher=Portsmouth F.C. |date=2008-07-16 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] [cite news |title=Swindon 1-3 Portsmouth Match Report |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_slideshow_b3b4_index=&fm_type=all&fm_string=ben%20sahar&fm_article_page_num=3&qs_media=html&qs_articleid=1360 |publisher=Portsmouth F.C. |date=2008-07-18 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] [cite news |title=Dorchester 1-1 Portsmouth Match Report |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_slideshow_b3b4_index=&fm_type=all&fm_string=ben%20sahar&fm_article_page_num=3&qs_media=html&qs_articleid=1367 |date=2008-07-21 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] [cite news |title=Kano Pillars 0-5 Portsmouth Match Report |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_slideshow_b3b4_index=&fm_type=all&fm_string=ben%20sahar&fm_article_page_num=2&qs_media=html&qs_articleid=1380 |date=2008-07-26 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] [cite news |title=Ajax Cape Town 1-2 Portsmouth Match Report |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_slideshow_b3b4_index=&fm_type=all&fm_string=ben%20sahar&fm_article_page_num=2&qs_media=html&qs_articleid=1392 |date=2008-07-30 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] [cite news |title=Havant & Waterlooville 0-4 Portsmouth Match Report |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_slideshow_b3b4_index=&fm_type=all&fm_string=ben%20sahar&fm_article_page_num=1&qs_media=html&qs_articleid=1411 |date=2008-08-05 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ] [cite news |title=Gosport 1-4 Portsmouth Match Report |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_slideshow_b3b4_index=&fm_type=all&fm_string=ben%20sahar&fm_article_page_num=1&qs_media=html&qs_articleid=1430 |date=2008-08-11 |accessdate=2008-08-12 ]

National team

On October 7, 2006 Ben Sahar made his debut for the Israel U-21s in a playoff against France - scoring Israel's goal in the away leg which ended 1-1, on the way to Israel's shock qualification to UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 with a 2-1 aggregate win.

On February 7, 2007, at the age of 17½, Sahar became the youngest player to ever play for the Israel national football team, in a friendly match against Ukraine (A feat since surpassed by Gai Assulin). In doing so, he became Chelsea's youngest player to earn an international cap.cite web | url=http://www.chelseafc.com/page/NewsHomePage/0,,10268~1027166,00.html | title=Sahar gratitude for honour | publisher=ChelseaFC.com | accessdate=2007-07-05] He earned his second cap against England on March 24, 2007, coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute. Sahar became the youngest player to score for the Israel National Team in his third appearance with the team on March 28, 2007, scoring two goals against Estonia as a substitute in Israel's 4-0 win. This was the youngest international goal scored by a Chelsea player.

International goals

Military

As an Israeli citizen, Ben Sahar was due to return back to Israel for a three-year spell of national service. However, Israeli law makers were working on a legislation (nicknamed "The Ben Sahar Law") that will allow Sahar to complete a civil service term in Britain instead. [http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m16&AId=52057&ATypeId=1&secid=16] The law did not pass and as a result, Sahar was drafted into the IDF. [cite web |url=http://www.one.co.il/Cat/Extra/Glitch.aspx?id=33503 |title=בשעה טובה ומוצלחת, בן סהר עלה על מדים והתגייס לצה"ל... |accessdate= |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=One.co.il |location= |pages= |language=Hebrew |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] Under the terms of his military service, he will go to his base every time he is on vacation in Israel. [cite news |first=Izzy |last=Ein Dor |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=בן סהר התגייס: "גאה להיות כמו כל ישראלי" |url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3606009,00.html |format= |work= |publisher=Yedioth Ahronoth |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=2008-10-06 |accessdate=2008-10-07 |language=Hebrew |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= ]

Notes and references

*soccerbase|id=45988|name=Ben Sahar
*ESPNsoccernet|id=93733|name=Ben Sahar

External links

* [http://www.chelseafc.com/cfcflash/index.html#/page/AcademyProfiles Chelsea FC - Player profile]
* [http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=8422&pn=Ben_Sahar Ben Sahar statistics, profile and timeline]

Persondata
NAME=Sahar, Ben
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=footballer
DATE OF BIRTH=1989-8-10
PLACE OF BIRTH=Holon , Israel
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=