| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Miguel Ángel Benítez Pavón | ||
| Date of birth | 19 May 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Santísima Trinidad, Paraguay | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1990–1991 | Villa Elisa | ||
| 1992–1993 | Calpe | ||
| 1993–1995 | Atlético Madrid | 10 | (0) |
| 1994 | → Almería CF (loan) | ||
| 1995 | → Mérida (loan) | 23 | (10) |
| 1995–2001 | Espanyol | 147 | (29) |
| 2002–2003 | Olimpia Asunción | 41 | (8) |
| 2003–2004 | UD Almería | 9 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Universitario | 7 | (0) |
| 2006 | Sportivo Luqueño | 24 | (2) |
| 2006 | Olimpia Asunción | 9 | (1) |
| 2007 | Guaraní | ||
| National team | |||
| 1996–1999 | Paraguay | 29 | (11) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2008–2009 | Silvio Pettirossi | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Miguel Ángel Benítez Pavón, also known as Peque Benítez (born 19 May 1970 in Santísima Trinidad), is a retired Paraguayan footballer who played as a forward.
He is best known for his spell with Spain's Espanyol, where he played for seven years; altogether, he spent one full decade in that country, representing three other teams and appearing in more than 200 official matches overall.
A Paraguayan international in the late 1990's, Benítez represented the nation at the 1998 World Cup.
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After playing for modest teams in his country, Benítez arrived in Spain at the age of 23, purchased by Atlético de Madrid, but appeared very rarely for the Colchoneros, being often demoted to its reserves, and also being loaned twice, notably to CP Mérida, which he helped promote from Segunda División, netting a team-best 10 goals in only five months.
Released by Atlético in the 1995 summer, Benítez signed with fellow top division side RCD Espanyol, going on to experience his best years; alternating between the starting XI and the bench, he amassed nearly 200 official appearances for the Catalans, helping them to the 2000 domestic cup.
Already in his 30's and dealing with some injuries, Benítez left Espanyol in January 2002, returning to his country and signing with Asunción's Club Olimpia. In the years until his retirement, he appeared rarely for several clubs, and also returned to Spain, playing with second-tier UD Almería.
In 2008, Benítez started his coaching career, taking charge of lowly Club Silvio Pettirossi as it was experiencing his first top level experience - short-lived, as the club dropped down two divisions in as many years.
Courtesy of his solid Espanyol performances, Benítez gained all of his 29 caps for the Paraguayan national team; he was selected for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, playing in all four matches as the national side reached the round of 16, and netting in the 3–1 group stage win over Nigeria (for a total of 11 international goals).[1]
He was also summoned for the 1999 Copa América, played on home soil, scoring three times: this included one in Paraguay's 1–1 quartefinal clash against Uruguay, where he also missed the decisive penalty shootout attempt.
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