Christian Benítez
Christian Rogelio Benítez Betancourt, Christian Benites, Christian Rogelio Benitez Betancourt
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Who is this?
Christian Rogelio Benítez Betancourt (1 May 1986 – 29 July 2013) was an Ecuadorian professional footballer who played as a striker. 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.
Career
- 1986Born
- 2004Joined Club Deportivo El Nacional
- 2005Joined Ecuador men's national football team
- 2007Joined Santos Laguna
- 2009Joined Birmingham City F.C.
- 2011Joined Club América
- 2013Passed away
- 2013Joined El Jaish SC
Trivia
- •Place of birth: Quito
- •Citizenship: Ecuador, Colombia
- •Known as: association football player
- •Sport: association football
What happened recently
Tributes pour in for Ecuadorian striker Christian Benitez following his tragic death
Christian Benitez, the former Birmingham City and Ecuador striker, dies aged 27
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