Álvaro Benito

Spanish footballer and musician

Álvaro Benito
Personal information

Full name	Álvaro Benito Villar
Date of birth	(1976-12-10) 10 December 1976 (age 47)
Place of birth	Salamanca, Spain
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Ávila
1991–1994	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994–1995	Real Madrid C	20	(1)
1995–1997	Real Madrid B	12	(2)
1995–2002	Real Madrid	21	(2)
1997–1998	→ Tenerife (loan)	2	(1)
2001–2002	Real Madrid B	11	(1)
2002–2003	Getafe	6	(0)
Total		72	(7)
International career
1992–1993	Spain U16	13	(0)
1993–1995	Spain U18	5	(1)
1996	Spain U21	1	(0)
Managerial career
2015–2019	Real Madrid (youth)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rock
pop rock
pop punk

Occupation(s)

Singer-songwriter
guitarist

Instrument(s)

Vocals
guitar

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

Club career

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

Benito was relatively used by the main squad in the 1995–96 season,^[1] and contributed seven matches the following campaign as they were crowned La Liga champions.^[2] In November 1996, 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; he was involved in a car accident afterwards, which further curtailed his recovering process.^[3]

After one unassuming loan with CD Tenerife and another spell with Castilla, Benito was released by Real Madrid in summer 2002, joining city neighbours Getafe CF of Segunda División.^[4] He appeared rarely for his new club, again due to injury.^[5]

After retiring, Benito was in charge of several of Real's youth sides, starting with the Alevín B in 2015.^[6]^[7]^[8] He was dismissed in late February 2019, following criticism of the first team after a 0–3 home defeat against FC Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey on a radio show.^[9]

International career

Benito won his only cap for the Spain under-21 side on 12 November 1996, coming on as a late substitute for FC Barcelona's Roger García in a 1–1 home draw against Slovakia for the 1998 UEFA European Championship qualifiers, but being stretchered off shortly after with a serious injury that all but ended his career.^[10]^[3]

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.^[11]

Honours

Real Madrid

La Liga: 1996–97^[2]

Spain U16

UEFA European Under-16 Championship runner-up: 1992

References

^ Carbajosa, Carlos E. (3 December 1995). "Los niños ponen patas arriba el Bernabéu" [Kids turn the Bernabéu upside down]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Fabio Capello lideró el primer proyecto de Lorenzo Sanz" [Fabio Capello was in charge of Lorenzo Sanz's first project]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 24 March 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Alvaro empieza a ver la luz al final del túnel" [Alvaro starts to see light at the end of the tunnel]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 27 June 2001. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
^ "Álvaro Benito ficha por el Getafe" [Álvaro Benito signs for Getafe]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 8 July 2002. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
^ De la Rosa, José Antonio (31 December 2002). "Álvaro Benito volvió a lesionarse de menisco" [Álvaro Benito injured meniscus again]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2023.
^ "El salmantino Álvaro Benito entrenará al Alevín B del Real Madrid" [Salamanca-born Álvaro Benito will coach Real Madrid's Alevín B]. La Gaceta de Salamanca (in Spanish). 14 August 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
^ "El cadete A del Real Madrid, con la selección española de fútbol para ciegos" [Real Madrid's cadete A, with the Spanish national team of blind football]. Marca (in Spanish). 24 April 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
^ Díaz, José Félix; Polo, Pablo (6 June 2017). "Una nueva oportunidad para Solari" [A new chance for Solari]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 October 2018.
^ "Real Madrid sack youth coach Alvaro Benito over radio criticism of first team". ESPN. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
^ García, Pedro (13 November 1996). "España Sub-21 no arranca "Las Palmas"" [Spain Under-21 do not get "The Claps" ("Las Palmas" in English, pun on city where match was held) started]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 October 2018.
^ "Álvaro Benito marca un gol en la música" [Álvaro Benito scores goal in music]. ABC (in Spanish). 13 January 2003. Retrieved 23 December 2010.