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) | ||
| 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 | (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. 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. However, due to FIFA regulations they had to reinstate it for the 2014 World Cup squad.