Christian Benítez

El Nacional

Due to a series of strong performances for El Nacional, Benítez was scouted by clubs such as Villarreal of Spain, though El Nacional denied any knowledge of the rumoured interest. Benítez contributed 29 goals in 83 league matches as El Nacional 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, succeeding PSV Eindhoven's Édison Méndez. Despite interest from Portuguese club Benfica, 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.

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. The move was subject to the striker receiving a work permit and passing a medical. The medical revealed unforeseen knee problems, 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…

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 2007. This added to the belief that he could excel in Europe. 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. In a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bolivia, he scored his country's third goal in a 3–1 win. A month later, he scored the only goal against Chile.

Benitez was born in Quito, the son of former Ecuador international footballer Ermen Benítez, and Rita Betancourt. In 2007, he married Liseth, daughter of Cléber Chalá, also an Ecuador international; she gave birth to twins in August 2009. He played under the nickname Chucho, a name "used in the Spanish-speaking Americas when referring affectionately to a small, pesky dog".

On 29 July 2013, Benítez entered a hospital in Doha, Qatar, because of a severe 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. He died from complications leading to cardiac arrest at the age of 27. 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. Following his death, the Ecuadorian Football Federation announced that it would retire his number 11 jersey from the national team. FIFA regulations required Ecuador to reinstate number 11 to their squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil; it was allocated to Felipe Caicedo. His international teammate Antonio Valencia had Benítez's number tattooed onto his upper arm in tribute after his death. A multipurpose stadium was constructed and named in his honour in Guayaquil; opened in February 2014, it is used as the home stadium of Guayaquil City F.C. Later that year, a statue of Benítez in typical goal celebration pose was unveiled at Santos Laguna's stadium. He was the third Santos player to be so honoured, after Jared Borgetti and Rodrigo…