Another 'crazy number' for Benado

Arik Benado may not be as old as the running joke among the Beitar Jerusalem FC squad suggests, but having broken the record for top-flight appearances in Israel his longevity is unquestionable.

"Some of the youngsters at the club joke that I began my career playing alongside Abraham, Isaac and Jacob," said the 36-year-old. "I just laugh it off, though now more than ever is the time for them to peddle out that gag." Indeed, Benado clocked up game No535 on Saturday in the 0-0 draw against Bnei Yehuda FC, an incomprehensible figure for first-team regulars like Amit Ben-Shushan, Idan Vered, Avi Rikan, Barak Itzhaki, Toto Tamuz, Kobi Moyal and captain Aviram Baruchyan – all 25 or younger.

They were all infants when Benado, following in father Shlomi's footsteps, made his league debut for Maccabi Haifa FC in December 1991, two days after his 17th birthday. He went on to make 375 league appearances in two spells for the club, playing a pivotal role in their historic unbeaten championship season of 1993/94, before returning for a second stint at Beitar in 2006.

Yet he never imagined he would one day pass the mark set earlier this season by former Haifa team-mates Alon Harazi and Rafi Cohen. "For a guy who starts playing football at a young age, 535 appearances sounds like an imaginary figure," Benado said. "It really does sound like a crazy number."

The evergreen Benado is a man for "crazy numbers". He is Israel's most-capped player both at senior (94 appearances) and Under-21 (39) levels and last month's League Cup triumph secured a 15th winners' medal to his creaking cabinet, including eight league honours. "I don't treat [breaking the appearance record] like winning a trophy, but if you take into account that I am also the most capped player at national and U21 levels then it is really something," said the centre-back, whose younger brother Tom also played for Haifa. He may not live to 175 like Abraham, but there is still a lot more to come from Benado.