Álvaro Benito

Álvaro Benito
Personal information
Full nameÁlvaro Benito Villar
Date of birth10 December 1976
Place of birthSalamanca, Spain
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Youth career
Real Madrid
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1994–1995Real Madrid C20(1)
1995–1997Real Madrid B13(1)
1995–2002Real Madrid21(2)
1997–1998→ Tenerife (loan)2(1)
2001–2002Real Madrid B11(1)
2002–2003Getafe6(0)
National team
1992–1993Spain U1613(0)
1993–1995Spain U185(1)
1996Spain U211(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Benito and the second or maternal family name is Villar.

Álvaro Benito Villar (born 10 December 1976) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left midfielder, and the vocalist/guitarist of Rock band Pignoise.

Football career

Born in Salamanca, Castile and León, Benito emerged through Real Madrid's youth ranks, making his senior debuts not yet aged 18 with the C-team. He progressed to the reserves the following year.

In the 1995–96 season Benito was relatively used by the main squad, and contributed with seven games the following campaign as the Merengues were crowned La Liga champions. In November 1996, in his first – and only – appearance with the Spanish under-21 side, he suffered a severe knee injury from which he would never fully recover, undergoing three operations in only four months in 1998 in Pittsburgh, United States; afterwards, he was involved in a car accident, which further curtailed his recovering process.[1]

After one unassuming loan with CD Tenerife and another spell with Castilla, Benito was released by Real Madrid in the 2002 summer, joining city neighbours Getafe CF in Segunda División,[2] where he appeared rarely, again due to injury.[3] He retired from football at the end of the season, aged only 26. He now dedicates entirely to music.

Honours

Club

Real Madrid

Country

Spain U16

Musical career

During his rehabilitation period, Benito started playing guitar and writing songs, going on to put together a band, Pignoise. The group, which also featured another former footballer, Héctor Polo (Real Zaragoza, Rayo Vallecano), eventually used many of the songs he composed prior to its creation.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Alvaro empieza a ver la luz al final del túnel" [Alvaro starts to see light at the end of the tunnel] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 27 June 2001. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  2. ↑ "Álvaro Benito ficha por el Getafe" [Álvaro Benito signs for Getafe] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 8 July 2002. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  3. ↑ "Álvaro Benito volvió a lesionarse de menisco" [Álvaro Benito injured meniscus again] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 31 December 2002. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  4. ↑ "Álvaro Benito marca un gol en la música" [Álvaro Benito scores goal in music] (in Spanish). ABC. 13 January 2003. Retrieved 23 December 2010.

External links