Sirens would start during training: missiles were being shot from the Gaza Strip into Tel Aviv. We had to go to the side of the building and take cover' Robert Earnshaw details his harrowing spell playing in Israel amid ongoing war

"I always wanted to play abroad at some point, to experience different ideas. I got a call out of the blue from Jordi Cruyff, the director of football. He said he would take care of me and he was terrific. Their transfer window was closing, so I had to make a quick decision. Oscar Garcia had come from the Barcelona academy to manage the side and assembled a group of Spanish coaching staff; football-wise, I learned more in the first two months there than I had over the past six years in the UK."

"Tel Aviv is such a beautiful place, but the war with Palestine happened to escalate while I was there. Missiles were being shot from the Gaza Strip into Tel Aviv. My experience was life-changing, not just in a football sense, but also in understanding the impact of conflict on daily life. It put a lot in perspective for me and made me appreciate the game and my career even more."

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