Early Years

Tal Ben Haim was born on 31st March 1982 in Rishon LeZion, Israel.  He started his professional career with Maccabi Tel Aviv, whom he joined in 1998. Ben Haim rose through the ranks at the Israeli giants, breaking into the first-team and playing a key role as Maccabi won the Ligat ha'Al championship in 2002-03. Having made himself an automatic selection at the back, his progress attracted the attention of English clubs and he was invited for a trial by Aston Villa. However, then-Villa boss David O'Leary was not convinced he'd make the grade in the Premiership. Sam Allardyce was less cautious and, following a two-week trial with Bolton Wanderers in the summer of 2004, Ben Haim joined the Trotters on a three-year contract for a fee thought to be around £150,000.  He had made almost 150 League appearances for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
 
While Allardyce thought Haim would not be ready for the demands of the Premier League immediately, he had confidence that, in time, the defender would make as much of an impact on English football as his compatriot Eyal Berkovic, who represented (sometimes controversially) Southampton, West Ham, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Portsmouth, a well as Celtic in Scotland.

Having been given that vote of confidence by Allardyce, Ben Hain went on to prove his manager wrong regarding timing, making 27 Premiership appearances in his debut season at The Reebok Stadium, and scoring his first goal for the Trotters in a 3-1 home victory against Tottenham Hotspur.

In October of the following campaign, Ben Haim was given the captain's arm-band by Allardyce in a Uefa Cup tie in Istanbul against Beşiktaş, His leadership of the team was praised by the regular skipper, Nigerian play-maker Jay Jay Okocha.

Claims To Fame

In his first season with Bolton, Ben Haim was involved in a clash with Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. The England striker appeared to shove Ben Haim in the face, and the Israeli was deemed to have exaggerated the incident and gone down too easily. He was charged with improper conduct by the Football Association, but later cleared of the charge.

Meanwhile, Ben Haim's solidity and versatility in the Bolton defence - he is equally comfortable playing at full-back or centre-back - was not only impressing Allardyce but also prompting other clubs to cast envious glances in the direction of The Reebok.  Among them three London-based Premiership rivals: Chelsea, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho reportedly made an enquiry about Ben Haim 's availability in December 2005 after the Israeli turned in a superb display against the then champions. Bolton responded unequivocally, stating that he was not for sale at any price. However, just over a year later Chelsea renewed their interest in the January 2007 transfer window, when injuries to John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho had left the Blues exposed defensively. But no transfer occurred, mainly because Chelsea thought Bolton`s asking price was too high. The Blues wanted to pay no more than a nominal fee for a player who would be a free agent in just six months' time.

Those six months having passed, Ben Haim's contract with Bolton had expired and his future there was in the balance. Chelsea were duly back in the frame, along with Newcastle United, who were now managed by Haim's ex-Bolton boss Allardyce.

Despite Allardyce's charms, Newcastle's prospectus was clearly less appealing to Ben Haim than Chelsea's, because on 14th June 2007, the Blues officially announced the signing of the player on a ‘Bosman’ free transfer after he had passed his medical at Stamford Bridge and agreed personal terms on a four-year contract. Those terms are said to be worth £13 million - or £60,000 per week - to the Israeli international, reputedly some five times what he was on at Bolton.

Not surprisingly, Ben Haim was delighted. He told the media: "I'm very happy to fulfill my dream and sign for Chelsea. I feel fantastic to be part of this amazing club and I'm looking forward to start. I'm very excited about the first games in the Champions League. If you ask every player, they want to play for Chelsea. It's one of the best teams in the world so I'm very happy to be part of that. I am very happy to join one of the best clubs in the world. I needed a new challenge. I will play in any position Jose Mourinho wants me to play."

Ben Haim left Bolton having made 110 competitive first-team appearances for the club.

Technical Skills

Tal Ben Haim is an athletic centre-back who can play at right-back equally well. He is a composed performer at the heart of the defence - something Chelsea will welcome given their weaknesses in that area last season. He is a confident player noted for his strength and aerial ability.  However, at Chelsea he is likely to be a substitute for starting defenders John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, so he may find himself a well-paid bench-warmer , at least initially.

Club Career - League Appearances (Goals)
1998-2004  Maccabi Tel Aviv 147 (2)
2004-05 Bolton Wanderers 21 (1)
2005-06 Bolton Wanderers 35
2006-07 Bolton Wanderers 32  Total: 88 (1)

National Team

Ben Haim has been a regular for the Israeli national team since making his debut in 1998. He has been a key figure in Israel's improvement in recent years, including their strong challenge to qualify for the 2008 European Championship finals in Austria & Switzerland.

To date he has won 22 caps for his country, and has recently captained the side.

During the Israel-France match in the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, French striker David Trezeguet took exception to a tackle from Ben Haim and head-butted the Israeli, earning himself a red card as a result. Israel went on to draw the game 1-1 against ten-man France.

Did You Know?

- Ben Haim's transfer from Maccabi to Bolton Wanderers in July 2004 is one of those about which Lord Stevens' Quest inquiry in June 2007 expressed concerns. Stevens perceived an apparent conflict of interest between agent Craig Allardyce, his father Sam Allardyce - then manager at Bolton - and Wanderers themselves.

- Tal means Dew in Hebrew. Literally, Ben Haim means Son of Life. However, the Hebrew word "Ben" also has several borrowed meanings, such as "one who has", or "one who belongs to". His name can therefore be interpreted in English as meaning "Belongs to Life", or "Has the virtue of living".

- At the end of the week in which he joined Chelsea, Tal Ben Haim married Michal Hemo in Israel. Wedding guests were rumoured to include several Premiership footballers.

- Israeli performer and celebrity Uri Geller, who claims to have psychic powers and demonstrates paranormal and psychokinetic feats, regards Tal Ben Haim as a friend and claims some credit for the player's increased confidence since arriving in the Premiership. After Haim captained Bolton, Geller said on his personal website: "I have been proud to coach Tal with positive thinking sessions, using the power of his mind to bring his body to new heights of athleticism." Haim was quoted as telling a reporter: "The conversations with Uri help me enormously. He persuades me to believe in myself and other things that may help my game with Bolton and Israel. I feel confident every time I go on to the pitch."

- Sam Allardyce was disappointed not to win the race for his former defender's signature when the player left Bolton. But he said: "We have had a long, hard go, but I think the lure of the [former] champions has perhaps just pipped me at the post. I'm sad I can't bring him here and work with him again. I like the lad an awful lot and we know each other really well. But, like I said, the lure of Chelsea is a big one."  Allardyce added: "He wants to play in the Champions League. He is not afraid of competition and believes he can gain a place with the [Chelsea] first team." The player himself admitted it was not easy to reject Big Sam`s overtures. "It was hard to turn down Newcastle because Sam Allardyce helped me take my first steps in English football, which I will never forget."

- Ben Haim's arrival at Chelsea is said to reflect, in part, the influence of his fellow Israeli Avram Grant, currently at Portsmouth, who is due to become Chelsea's new director of football after forging a strong relationship with the Blues' owner, Roman Abramovich - from whose private box at Wembley Grant watched Chelsea's FA Cup triumph in May. Grant, the former coach of the Israeli national team, has long been a champion of Ben Haim's cause. 

Particulars

Name	Tal Ben Haim
Date & Place of Birth / Age	31st March 1982, Rishon Lezion / 25
Nationality	Israeli
Height	1.80m
Weight	74kg
Role	Centre-back of full-back

 

Graham Lister