Former Ghana defender John Paintsil has opened up on the two most influential clubs during his playing career, and guess what, it’s not West Ham United and Leicester City.

The former right back who is now a coach has picked Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv and Fulham United as his best clubs throughout his playing career.

One would have thought that following Leicester City’s history rise to win the English Premier League two seasons ago, Paintsil would have picked the 2015 champions as his best club.

But not even West Ham United came into John Paintsil’s pick.

“It was two clubs – Hapoel Tel Aviv and Fulham. These were the clubs that made me feel at home. The fans, coaches and all my team mates were very supportive and I played more games with these clubs,” he told GHANAsoccernet.com in an exclusive interview.

“We achieved a lot, winning trophies and then playing in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA (Europa) Cup. I had an amazing stay with these two clubs and I still have a good relationship with them including all the clubs I played for.

“With Fulham, we played in the Europa Cup final which was good for me. I did well during my playing days and also played in the Champions League with Hapoel Tel Aviv,” he added.

Pantsil, one of the unsung heroes of Ghana had a wonderful stint with the senior national team – the Black Stars, registering 99 caps with a 9-year playing experience in the English Premier League.