Playing career

Ben Dayan started his career at Maccabi Tel Aviv, 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 by then manager, Richard Møller Nielsen, for a friendly against Hungary. His most successful club season though was in 2001–02 when he started and helped the club win the Israel State Cup 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 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 to join Hapoel for the 2003–04 season. There he would revive his career playing under Eli Guttman. This even led to him getting a second chance to play on the national team, but he only featured in two friendlies against Azerbaijan and Moldova.

Personal life

Ben Dayan is Jewish.^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[6]