| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Miguel Ángel Benítez Pavón | ||
| Date of birth | (1970-05-19)19 May 1970 (age 55) | ||
| Place of birth | Santísima Trinidad, Paraguay | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1992 | Calpe FC | ||
| 1993–1995 | Atlético Madrid | 10 | (0) |
| 1994 | →Almería (loan) | ||
| 1995 | →Mérida (loan) | 23 | (10) |
| 1995–2001 | Espanyol | 147 | (28) |
| 2002–2003 | Olimpia | 41 | (8) |
| 2003–2004 | Almería | 9 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Universitario | 7 | (0) |
| 2006 | Sportivo Luqueño | 24 | (2) |
| 2006 | Olimpia | 9 | (1) |
| 2007 | Guaraní | ||
| International career | |||
| 1996–1999 | Paraguay | 32 | (11) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2008–2009 | Silvio Pettirossi | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Miguel Ángel Benítez Pavón (born 19 May 1970), also known asPeque Benítez, is aParaguayan retiredfootballer who played as aforward.
He is best known for his spell with Spain'sEspanyol, 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 games overall.
AParaguayan international in the late 1990s, Benítez represented the nation at the1998 World Cup.
Benítez was born inSantísima Trinidad (Asunción). After playing for modest clubs in his country he arrived inSpain at the age of 23, purchased byAtlético Madrid, but appeared very rarely for theColchoneros, being often demoted toits reserves and also being loaned twice, notably toCP Mérida which he helpedpromote from thesecond division by scoring a team-best ten goals in only five months.
Released by Atlético in the 1995 summer, Benítez signed with fellowLa Liga sideRCD Espanyol, going on to experience his best years: alternating between the starting XI andthe bench, he amassed 166 competitive appearances for theCatalans, helping them to the2000 conquest of theCopa del Rey.
Already in his 30s and dealing with some injuries, Benítez left Espanyol in January 2002, returning to his country and signing withAsunción'sClub Olimpia. In his first year with Olimpia he helped the team to winCopa Libertadores, and the following season he wonRecopa Sudamericana. In the years until his retirement he appeared for several clubs, and also returned to Spain, playing withUD Almería in the second level.
Benítez started his coaching career in 2008, taking charge of lowlyClub Silvio Pettirossi as it was experiencing its first season in thePrimera División – short-lived, as the side dropped down two tiers in as many years.
Courtesy of his solid Espanyol performances, Benítez gained all of his 30caps for theParaguay national team. He was selected for the1998 FIFA World Cup, playing in all four matches as the country reached theround-of-16 and netting in the 3–1 group stage win overNigeria.[1]
Benítez was also selected for the1999 Copa América, played on home soil, scoring three times: this included one in Paraguay's 1–1 quarter-final clash againstUruguay, where he also missed the decisivepenalty shootout attempt.[2]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10 November 1996 | Defensores del Chaco,Asunción, Paraguay |  Ecuador | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 12 January 1997 | Guillermo Soto Rosa,Mérida,Venezuela |  Venezuela | 0–1 | 0–2 | |
| 3. | 10 September 1997 | Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Bolivia | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
| 4. | 8 February 1998 | Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Poland | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 5. | 18 March 1998 | Estadio Azteca,Mexico City,Mexico |  Mexico | 0–1 | 1–1 | |
| 6. | 29 March 1998 | Yale Bowl,New Haven,United States |  Colombia | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| 7. | 24 June 1998 | Stade de Toulouse,Toulouse,France |  Nigeria | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
| 8. | 2 July 1999 | Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Japan | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1999 Copa América |
| 9. | 3–0 | |||||
| 10. | 10 July 1999 | Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Uruguay | 0–1 | 1–1 | |
| 11. | 17 November 1999 | Domingo Burgueño,Maldonado, Uruguay | Uruguay | 0–1 | 0–1 | Friendly |
Miguel Ángel Benítez international tournaments | |||||||
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