Christian Benítez
Christian Rogelio Benítez Betancourt (1 May 1986 – 29 July 2013), also known as Chucho, was an Ecuadorian professional footballer who played as a striker.
| Benítez with América in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Rogelio Benítez Betancourt | ||
| Date of birth | 1 May 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Quito, Ecuador | ||
| Date of death | 29 July 2013 (aged 27) | ||
| Place of death | Doha, Qatar | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2005 | El Nacional | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2007 | El Nacional | 84 | (29) |
| 2007–2011 | Santos Laguna | 95 | (51) |
| 2009–2010 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 30 | (3) |
| 2011–2013 | América | 79 | (52) |
| 2013 | El Jaish | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 288 | (135) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2013 | Ecuador | 58[2] | (24) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He began his career with El Nacional in Ecuador and then joined Santos Laguna, with whom he won the award for Best Player of the Clausura 2008.[3] He spent the 2009–10 season on loan to Premier League club Birmingham City, and then moved to Club América for a Mexican record US$10 million, where he was a regular scorer. He played for El Jaish of the Qatar Stars League at the time of his death. Benitez played 58 times for the Ecuador national football team from his debut in 2005, scoring 24 goals. He played for them at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and two Copa America tournaments.
Following his death, the Ecuadorian Football Federation retired Benítez's number 11 jersey from the national team.[2] However, due to FIFA regulations they had to reinstate it for the 2014 World Cup squad.[4]
Personal life
Benitez was born in Quito,[5] the son of former Ecuador international footballer Ermen Benítez,[6] and of Rita Betancourt.[7] In 2007, he married Liseth, daughter of Cléber Chalá, also an Ecuador international;[8] she gave birth to twins in August 2009.[9]
He played under the nickname Chucho, a name "used in the Spanish-speaking Americas when referring affectionately to a small, pesky dog".[10]
Club career
El Nacional
Due to a series of strong performances for El Nacional, Benítez was scouted by clubs such as Villarreal CF of Spain,[11] though El Nacional denied any knowledge of the rumoured interest.[12]
By scoring 29 goals in 83 league matches for El Nacional, Benítez won both the 2005 Clausura and 2006 League Championships.
Santos Laguna
In July 2007, he moved to Santos Laguna of the Mexican Primera División. With his arrival and that of Vicente Matías Vuoso, Santos had an impressive season with wins over several top Mexican clubs. In 2007, Benítez received an award as the best Ecuadorian footballer playing outside Ecuador,[13] succeeding PSV Eindhoven's Édison Méndez.
Despite interest from Portuguese club Benfica,[14] Benítez decided to remain in Mexico. His 10 goals made a major contribution to Santos winning the Clausura 2008 title, and his personal reward was selection as best player of the season.[3]
Loan to Birmingham City
On 3 June 2009, Birmingham City announced the signing of Benítez on a three-year contract for an undisclosed club record transfer fee, which press reports speculated to be in the region of £6 million rising to £9m.[15] The move was subject to the striker receiving a work permit and passing a medical.[6][16] The medical revealed unforeseen knee problems,[17] which prompted the deal to be renegotiated on a "protected purchase" basis. The club would pay an initial $2m (£1.2m) with an option to abort the deal on medical grounds after the first year; thereafter the fee could potentially rise, depending on appearances and success, to a club record $12.5m (£7.7m).[18][19] The player eventually signed on 7 July.[18] The club later clarified that he was in fact on loan.[20] While recovering from shoulder surgery and awaiting his visa, Benítez played in an all-star match in Ecuador without asking the club's permission.[21]
2009–10 season
He made his Birmingham debut as a second-half substitute in Birmingham's opening match of the season, a 1–0 defeat at Manchester United, and came close to equalising, drawing a "wonderful one-handed diving save" from Ben Foster.[22] His first Premier League start came against Hull City on 19 September; he played a key role in a 1–0 win and "could have had a hat-trick but for the supreme goalkeeping of Boaz Myhill".[23] Benítez scored his first goal for the Blues on 9 November away to Liverpool, with a close-range header after Scott Dann had nodded the ball on, in a game which finished 2–2.[24] He scored the first of what manager Alex McLeish described as "two classy goals" as Birmingham knocked Everton out of the FA Cup at Goodison Park.[25] However, after his season produced only four goals and Birmingham's attempt to renegotiate the agreed transfer fee was unsuccessful, the club chose not to take up their option to purchase, and the player returned to Santos Laguna.[26][27]
Return to Santos Laguna 2010
On 21 July 2010, Benítez signed a new three-year deal with Santos Laguna,[28] in the first tournament after his return he was the top goalscorer with 16 goals. Leading the scoring table, Chucho led Santos to the 2010 Apertura Finals, losing to Monterrey.
Club América
2011–12 season
Benitez signed to play for América on 22 May 2011. The transfer fee was reported to be of US$10 million, which established a record for a club in Mexico. He scored a goal in his debut on 24 July in the 2–1 win against Querétaro. On 21 August 2011 Benítez made his first hat trick with América against Atlas in a 5–2 win. In his first Súper Clásico, Benítez scored a header in a 3–1 loss to Chivas.
Benítez scored the opening goal for Club América's Clausura 2012 season in a 2–0 win against Querétaro. Benítez ended the season with 14 goals and ended up being the league's top scorer along with Iván Alonso.
2012–13 season
Benítez played his first game of the 2012–13 season on 21 July against Monterrey, in a 0–0 away draw. On 28 July, he scored his first goals of the season in a 4–2 victory over Chiapas. On 11 November, Benitez became joint top goal-scorer of the 2012 Apertura alongside Atlante's Esteban Paredes. On 14 November, Benítez scored a two goals in a 2–0 away play-off quarter-final match against Morelia.
Benítez scored his first three goals of the 2013 Clausura season in a 2–0 away win against Jaguares de Chiapas. On 2 March, Benítez scored a hat trick, 2 headers and a left-footed strike against Cruz Azul in a 3–0 win. On 27 April after losing 2–0 in an away match against Pachuca, Benitez scored a hat-trick to lead América to a 4–2 win. Benitez ended up being the Clausura 2013 Liga MX top scorer for the third consecutive season. On 26 May Benitez became Liga MX 2013 Clausura champions after defeating Cruz Azul 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out, where he converted the second penalty.
El Jaish
He officially left the club on 6 July 2013, and signed a contract with Qatari club El Jaish.[29] He made his debut in a match against Qatar SC in the Sheikh Jassim Cup on 28 July "without complaining of any health problems", according to El Jaish officials.[30] This was the only match he played for the club. A day later, he died from cardiac arrest at age 27.
International career
Benítez was a member of the Ecuador national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Although considered by many as a surprise selection by coach Luis Fernando Suárez, he had impressed with his speed, elusiveness and skill in pre-World Cup showings against the Netherlands and Japan, in addition to his 2006 Copa Libertadores experience. He was a candidate for the Gillette Best Young Player Award, a new award made at the end of the FIFA World Cup to the best young player born on or after 1 January 1985. His only appearance was in the 3–0 loss to Germany, replacing Felix Borja midway through the match.
His first international goal came in September 2006 against Peru. Then, in April 2007, he scored another goal against Peru in Ecuador's 2–0 win in a friendly match held in the Mini Estadi in Barcelona, Spain. He also scored in a 1–1 draw with the Republic of Ireland, also in a friendly, played in New Jersey on 23 May 2006.[31] This added to the belief that he could excel in Europe.[32]
Benítez started all three games during the 2007 Copa América, scoring against Chile as Ecuador were eliminated in the first stage, losing all three matches. In an international friendly against El Salvador on 8 September 2007, Benítez scored twice in an emphatic 5–1 home win in Quito.[33]
In a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bolivia, he scored his country's third goal in a 3–1 win.[34] A month later, he scored the only goal against Chile.[35]
Death and legacy
On 29 July 2013, Benítez entered a hospital in Doha, Qatar, because of a strong pain in his abdomen. According to Miguel Herrera and other teammates in an interview with Mexican morning show Matutino Express, he did not receive immediate medical attention and a few hours later, Benítez went into respiratory failure.[36] He died from complications leading to cardiac arrest at the age of 27.[37][38]
Tens of thousands of people filed past the body, which lay in a glass-topped casket in the Coliseo General Rumiñahui in Quito, before the public funeral ceremony, which was attended by sporting and political figures including the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa. The cortege received a police motorcycle escort through crowded streets to a private interment.[39][40]
Following his death, the Ecuadorian Football Federation announced that it would retire his number 11 jersey from the national team.[2] His international teammate Antonio Valencia had Benítez's number tattooed onto his upper arm in tribute after his death.[41]
At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, due to FIFA regulations, Ecuador had to reinstate number 11 for the squad which was taken by Felipe Caicedo.[4]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| El Nacional | 2004 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2005 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 6 | ||||||
| 2006 | 38 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 50 | 16 | ||||||
| 2007 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 8 | ||||||
| Total | 84 | 29 | 17 | 1 | 101 | 30 | ||||||
| Santos Laguna | 2007–08 | Primera División | 40 | 17 | – | 40 | 17 | |||||
| 2008–09 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 28 | 19 | ||||||
| 2010–11 | 35 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 39 | 21 | ||||||
| Total | 95 | 51 | 12 | 6 | 107 | 57 | ||||||
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2009–10 | Premier League | 30 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 36 | 4 | |
| América | 2011–12 | Primera División | 36 | 22 | – | 36 | 22 | |||||
| 2012–13 | 43 | 30 | – | – | 43 | 30 | ||||||
| Total | 79 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 52 | ||||||
| Career total | 288 | 135 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 7 | 323 | 143 | ||
International goals
- Scores and results list Ecuador's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Benítez goal.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Final | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 2006 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | Peru | 1–0 | 1–1 | International friendly |
| 2 | 23 May 2007 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | Republic of Ireland | 1–0 | 1–1 | International friendly |
| 3 | 6 June 2007 | Barcelona, Spain | Peru | 1–0 | 2–0 | International friendly |
| 4 | 26 June 2007 | Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela | Chile | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2007 Copa América |
| 5 | 8 September 2007 | Quito, Ecuador | El Salvador | 2–0 | 5–1 | International friendly |
| 6 | 4–1 | |||||
| 7 | 20 August 2008 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | Colombia | 1–0 | 1–0 | International friendly |
| 8 | 6 September 2008 | Quito, Ecuador | Bolivia | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 12 October 2008 | Quito, Ecuador | Chile | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 9 September 2009 | La Paz, Bolivia | Bolivia | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 4 September 2010 | Zapopan, Mexico | Mexico | 1–0 | 2–1 | International friendly |
| 12 | 12 October 2010 | Montreal, Canada | Poland | 1–0 | 2–2 | International friendly |
| 13 | 2–2 | |||||
| 14 | 17 November 2010 | Quito, Ecuador | Venezuela | 1–0 | 4–1 | International friendly |
| 15 | 2–0 | |||||
| 16 | 1 June 2011 | Toronto, Canada | Canada | 1–1 | 2–2 | International friendly |
| 17 | 2 September 2011 | Quito, Ecuador | Jamaica | 3–0 | 5–2 | International friendly |
| 18 | 4–0 | |||||
| 19 | 6 September 2011 | Quito, Ecuador | Costa Rica | 4–0 | 4–0 | International friendly |
| 20 | 7 October 2011 | Quito, Ecuador | Venezuela | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 21 | 15 November 2011 | Quito, Ecuador | Peru | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22 | 10 June 2012 | Quito, Ecuador | Colombia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 23 | 21 March 2013 | Quito, Ecuador | El Salvador | 2–0 | 5–0 | International friendly |
| 24 | 26 March 2013 | Quito, Ecuador | Paraguay | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honors
Club
El Nacional
Santos Laguna
Club América
Individual
- Serie A Best Player: 2006 Serie A
- Liga MX Golden Ball: Clausura 2008, Apertura 2012
- Liga MX Golden Boot: Apertura 2010, Clausura 2012, Apertura 2012, Clausura 2013
References
- ^ "Christian Benítez". mediotiempo.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^ a b c [Ecuador's number 11 will always be Chucho's] (in Spanish). Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol. August 1, 2013. Archived from the original on August 19, 2013.
- ^ a b . FIFA. 30 July 2008. Archived from the original on 11 August 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ^ a b "Soccer-Ecuador to reinstate Benitez's number 11 for World Cup". reuters.com. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015.
- ^ [Player details] (in Spanish). Ecuadorian Football Federation. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ a b "Birmingham sign striker Benitez". BBC Sport. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ^ Campos, Pablo (24 December 2007). "Teníamos un pacto con mi hijo: regresar juntos a vivir en Ecuador" [We had a pact with my son: to come back together to live in Ecuador]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ [The best goal for Christmas]. Diario Extra (in Spanish). 24 December 2007. Archived from the original on 24 May 2008.
- ^ [Twins, Chucho's best 'goals']. Hoy (in Spanish). September 6, 2009. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Northcroft, Jonathan (9 August 2009). "Pulling power". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ Townsend, Walter (June 26, 2007). . AboutABall. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ (in Spanish). CRE Satelital Ecuador. January 16, 2007. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ Sánchez Pineda, Joselo (13 December 2007). . Ecuador Football Federation. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
- ^ (in Spanish). Goal.com. 25 November 2007. Archived from the original on 26 November 2007.
- ^ Walker, Andy (4 June 2009). . Birmingham Post. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
- ^ . Birmingham City F.C. June 3, 2009. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ Tattum, Colin (6 July 2009). "Medical concerns delay Benitez's £9m move to Blues". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
- ^ a b . Birmingham City F.C. July 7, 2009. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
- ^ Tattum, Colin (8 July 2009). "Birmingham City insist on 'get out' clause in new deal for Christian Benitez". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
Blues will pay just $2 million, about £1.2 million, for the next 12 months and at the end of that period have a 'get out' option to cover themselves should Benitez's knee have caused him grief in that time. Thereafter, they will shell out money over a period of years, incorporating chunks for appearances and success, that could take the eventual price to $12.5 million, or £7.75 million.
- ^ . Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on July 13, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Tattum, Colin (20 July 2009). "Injury-hit Christian Benitez plays all-star game in Ecuador". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
- ^ Sonaji, Pranav (16 August 2009). "Man Utd 1–0 Birmingham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
- ^ Cross, Jeremy (21 September 2009). "Alex McLeish is full of hope for Christian Benítez at Birmingham". The Times. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ^ Kay, Oliver (10 November 2009). . The Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ "Everton 1–2 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 23 January 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
- ^ Tattum, Colin (14 May 2010). "Reasons for Blues not signing Christian Benitez explained". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ "Birmingham City opt against signing Christian Benitez". BBC Sport. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- ^ . Mirror Football. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- ^ (in Arabic). 6 July 2013. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ^ . dohanews.co. 29 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ "Ecuador 1–1 Ireland". ESPNsoccernet. 23 May 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
- ^ "Christian Benítez, el hijo de la Pantera y el punta del futuro". Diario AS (in Spanish). 1 June 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
- ^ "Ecuador 5–1 El Salvador". ESPNsoccernet. 8 September 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
- ^ "2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying South America / Ecuador VS Bolivia". Statbunker. 6 September 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ . FIFA. October 12, 2008. Archived from the original on August 5, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- ^ Ordorica, Ana Paula (29 July 2013). "Paralelo 23". Paralelo 23 (in Spanish). Mexico City. Televisa. FOROtv.
- ^ "Christian Benitez: Former Birmingham striker dies aged 27". BBC Sport. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ "Christian Benítez falleció en Qatar". El Comercio (in Spanish). 29 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ [Christian 'Chucho' Benítez buried in a Quito cemetery]. Terra (in Spanish). 3 August 2013. Archived from the original on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "Rafael Correa dijo que Christian Benítez se ha convertido en leyenda" [Rafael Correa says that Christian Benítez has become a legend]. El Comercio (in Spanish). 2 August 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "Ecuador motivated by death of Christian Benitez". Yahoo. Associated Press. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
External links
- Christian Benítez – Liga MX stats at MedioTiempo.com () (in Spanish)
- at Ecuadorian Football Federation (in Spanish)
- Christian Benítez at Soccerbase
- at Birmingham City F.C. website