Édgar Milciades Benítez Santander (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈeðɣaɾ βeˈnites]; born 8 November 1987), nicknamed Pájaro ([ˈpaxaɾo]; bird), is a Paraguayan footballer who plays as a midfielder for Peruvian club UCV. He also holds Mexican citizenship. A Paraguayan international on 56 occasions since 2008, he represented his country at the FIFA World Cup 2010 and two Copa América tournaments.[1] In 2006, he won the Milk Cup with Paraguay's under-20 team.[2]
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Édgar Milciades Benítez Santander | ||
| Date of birth | 8 November 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Repatriación, Caaguazú, Paraguay | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | UCV | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2007 | Libertad | 32 | (2) |
| 2008 | → Sol de América (loan) | 37 | (21) |
| 2009–2013 | Pachuca | 85 | (21) |
| 2011–2012 | → Cerro Porteño (loan) | 44 | (11) |
| 2012–2013 | → Toluca (loan) | 38 | (6) |
| 2013–2015 | Toluca | 71 | (15) |
| 2015–2018 | Queretaro | 71 | (8) |
| 2018–2019 | Libertad | 47 | (12) |
| 2020 | Guaraní | 18 | (1) |
| 2021 | Sportivo Luqueño | 18 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | Alianza Lima | 31 | (2) |
| 2023 | General Caballero JLM | 15 | (0) |
| 2023– | UCV | 32 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2006–2007 | Paraguay U20 | ||
| 2008–2017 | Paraguay | 56 | (9) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 September 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 June 2017 | |||
Career
editClub
editBenítez started his career in Club 12 de Octubre of Itaugua before moving to Libertad in 2005, where he won the Paraguayan 1st division tournament although he mostly played as a substitute. In 2008, he was signed by Sol de América and quickly established himself in the club, being one of the team's top goalscorers.[3]
On 1 December 2008, it was announced that Benítez will play in the Mexican League for Pachuca CF. He made his debut with C.F. Pachuca on 2 January in the Interliga 2009, scoring his first goal with the club in the 4–0 win over Tecos UAG. He would end the tournament as the top goalscorer with 4 goals in 4 games, helping Pachuca obtain a spot in the qualifying round for the Copa Libertadores 2009.[4]
Since 2009 he wasn't considered as a starter for Pachuca. He is mainly used as a substitute for every match. He has participated constantly in Pachuca's matches in Bicentenario 2010. On 20 February 2010 he started a match against Chiapas. He scored twice in this game and Pachuca secured a 2–2. In June, 2015, Queretaro announced that Benítez would play for them for the upcoming season.
National team
editIn the 2006 Milk Cup, he scored in the 60th minute in a 2–0 victory over the USA.[2]
He played first international match in 2008. Due to his good performances with Sol de América he was called for the Paraguay national football team and had a good debut, playing in his first 2010 World Cup qualification match against Peru in which Paraguay won 1–0.[5]
He was included in Paraguay's squad for the 2015 Copa América, scoring the only goal of a 1–0 win against Jamaica in the team's second group match on 16 June 2015.[6]
He scored the second goal for Paraguay in a 2–2 draw against Brazil for the nation's campaign to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
International goals
editUpdated 29 March 2016
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Final | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 October 2008 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Peru |
1-0 | 1-0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 1 April 2009 | Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador |  Ecuador |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 21 December 2011 | Estadio La Portada, La Serena, Chile |  Chile |
1–1 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 4. | 15 February 2012 | Estadio Feliciano Cáceres, Luque, Paraguay | Chile |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 5. | 22 February 2012 | Estadio Feliciano Cáceres, Luque, Paraguay |  Guatemala |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 6. | 22 March 2013 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Uruguay |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7. | 11 October 2013 | CTE Cachamay, Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela |  Venezuela |
0–1 | 1–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8. | 16 June 2015 | Estadio Regional de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile |  Jamaica |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2015 Copa América |
| 9. | 29 March 2016 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Brazil |
2–0 | 2–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
edit- Alianza Lima
- Peruvian Primera División: 2021, 2022
- Peruvian Torneo Clausura: 2021
- Libertad
- Paraguayan Primera División: 2006, 2007
- Pachuca
- Cerro Porteño
- Querétaro
References
edit- ^ "Especial: Crece el número de naturalizados en la Liga MX | Futbol Mexicano | TelevisaDeportes.com". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Milk Cup (Northern Ireland)".
- ^ Stats from Paraguayan 1st division
- ^ El Tuzo se alzó en un partido vibrante frente al Atlas
- ^ Benítez conmigo Archived 18 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
- ^ "Paraguay 1-0 Jamaica". BBC. 15 June 2015.
External links
edit- Édgar Benítez at BDFA (in Spanish)
- Édgar Benítez at National-Football-Teams.com
- Édgar Benítez – Liga MX stats at MedioTiempo.com (archived) (in Spanish)
- Édgar Benítez at Soccerway