A Tribute to Cristian Benitez

The news of Cristian Benitez’s untimely death has left the footballing community in a state of shock and sadness. The Ecuadorian striker passed away due to a cardio respiratory arrest in Qatar, where he was playing his club football for Al Jaish SC. He was just 27 years of age and was one of Ecuador’s leading players.

A regular starter in the Ecuadorian national team, the gifted striker was popularly called ‘Chucho’. He was prolific during the ongoing qualifying phase for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, having scored 4 goals in 9 matches as Ecuador are inching closer to qualification. No doubt that Ecuador has lost one of its leading players.

Having started his professional career in 2004 with the Ecuadorian club El Nacional, Benitez went on to play for Santos Laguna (Mexico), Birmingham City (England) and Club America (Mexico) and was a prolific scorer wherever he went. He recently signed for the Qatari club Al Jaish SC and yesterday he had played the first and the only match for his new club. He was also a reliable goalscorer for his National team. He played 58 matches for Ecuador since making his debut in 2005 and scored 24 goals.

Tributes have come in great numbers for this much loved footballer. Antonio Valencia (Benitez’s close friend and international team-mate), Radamel Falcao, Sepp Blatter and many others have paid homage to Benitez through the social networking sites. The President of the Ecuadorian Football Association, Luis Chiriboga has best summed up the feelings: “First and foremost we have lost a great Ecuadorian, an extraordinary human being and a loving father of four, who was also an extraordinary player”. May his soul rest in peace.