Milton Benitez: the man who swapped South America for love in Newbridge
Milton Benitez had an extraordinary career in South America before joining Newbridge Town. Photo: Noel Browne
Newbridge Town have not enjoyed anything like the start they would have hoped for in the FAI National League, with their first outing in the new third tier of Irish football resulting in a 2-1 defeat away to CK United. The situation did not improve in Round 2 when a first home fixture in the new league saw Waterford’s Villa FC leave Station Road with all three points after an impressive 5-1 victory.
Newbridge manager, Martin Russell will have done well to find any positives from the Villa game, however, one silver lining was the debut of one of the most fascinating names in the National League.
Midfielder, Milton Benitez is one of a handful of fully capped senior internationals playing across the three tiers of the Irish football pyramid. The 40-year-old Paraguayan has had a remarkable career, with Ireland becoming the fourth country in which he has plied his trade.
Speaking this week to The Kildare Nationalist, Benitez told us what life was like growing up in Pedro Juan Caballero – Paraguay’s highest city, at 670 metres above sea level, located along the border with Brazil.
“I had a good childhood in Pedro Juan Caballero; we were a humble family, but my parents always gave me everything within their means,” he said.
Benitez began playing football with a local academy called Deportivo Acosta Ñu before moving to the Paraguayan capital, Asunción, to join Club Libertad – one of the most famous and successful clubs in the country.
“Some scouts from Libertad came to my city to hold player try-outs; I signed up, went, and passed the test. After that, I signed with Libertad and started playing for the club's U-18 team at age 16, and just before turning 18, I played my first professional match for the club,” Benitez told us.
He spent three years at Libertad from 2005 to 2007, with the club winning back-to-back APF División de Honor titles in 2006 and 2007 – the Paraguayan Premier League. Still a teenager at the time, Benitez played only a minor role for the club during that period.
“To be honest, I played very few matches,” he said. “I was young, and Libertad had a squad of very good players at the time.”
He made 13 league appearances for the club during those three years, but the midfielder really found his feet during a loan spell in the Paraguayan second division in 2006 with Atlético 3 de Febrero, making 31 league appearances and scoring seven goals.
In 2008, Benitez left Libertad, but stayed in the capital, joining rivals, Olimpia – Paraguay’s most successful club of all time – telling us how much he enjoyed those formative years of his young career.
“I turned professional with Libertad; at the time, they were the best team of recent years, winning trophies. It was a dream come true for me at 18 to play alongside great players who were then part of the Paraguayan national team.
“Afterward, I joined Olimpia - the club with the most titles in Paraguay and a world championship to its name. It all happened very quickly, and I learned and enjoyed so much playing for my country's two biggest clubs.”
It is a great honour for Paraguayan players to represent Olimpia, who were crowned Club World Champions in 1979. Having won that year’s Copa Libertadores (the South American Champions League), they went on to face Malmo in a two-legged final; Malmo had finished runners-up in the European Cup final that year, but winners, Nottingham Forest refused to play the inter-continental decider.
After Olimpia, Benitez returned to 3 de Febrero for his second spell at the club, saying, “I learned a lot there, played many matches, and was able to score important goals for the club.”
In 2009, Benitez left Paraguay to spend the season playing for one of the biggest clubs in Brazil and all of South America, Vasco da Gama. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Vasco da Gama has been home to some of the most famous Brazilian players of all time, including Romario, Bebeto, Roberto Dinamite, Juninho Pernambucano and Edmundo.
“Being at and playing for Vasco was an incredible experience - one of the biggest clubs in Brazil and South America, with a passionate fanbase and very good players,” Benitez said.
“Our captain, Carlos Alberto, had already won the Champions League, and I had a special teammate - 16 years old at the time - who would go on to become a world-class player: Philippe Coutinho. Plus, I was living in Rio de Janeiro, a beautiful city.”
Benitez returned to Paraguay to play with Sportivo Luqeño for two years. Located on the outskirts of the capital, Asunción, Sportivo Luqeño are another hugely successful club, meaning Benitez had completed the trifecta of Paraguay’s top three teams of all time - Libertad, Olimpia and Luqeño.
Benitez enjoyed two spells at Luqeño before joining Nacional, meaning he had shared the same clubs as some of Paraguay’s most legendary players, José Luis Chilavert (Sportivo Luqeño) and Roque Santa Cruz (Libertad, Olimpia and Nacional).
“I feel honoured to play for the same two clubs as great players and idols like Chilavert and Roque Santa Cruz, it has been like a dream since I was a child,” Benitez said.
In 2011, national coach, Gerardo Martino gave Benitez his international debut, starting in a friendly against Argentina in the build-up to that year’s Copa America, with the Newbridge Town man saying, “it was incredible to experience the feeling of representing your country.”
After Paraguay, Benitez played for two clubs in Chile; Huachipato, where he won the 2012 Liga de Primera and Rangers de Talca; and two clubs in Peru; Deportivo Binacional and Sport Huancayo.
“I think each country had its own charm, culture, and style of football. I enjoyed playing in both countries - it was a great experience. I enjoyed living in both countries as well; living there, the food, and the beautiful places in both; as I said, each country has its own style of playing soccer and its own culture.”
So, with such a wealth of experience behind him, how did Milton Benitez end up playing in the third tier of Irish football with Newbridge Town?
“Love,” he explained with a laugh – it had to be.
“I married an Irish woman from Newbridge, and we decided I would come live in Ireland. I’ve been living here for four years now - it’s a beautiful country that I really like.
“When I arrived in Ireland, I wanted to play football for a club. A friend of mine knew someone at Newbridge Town, so he called to ask if I could come along for training. That was four years ago.
“I am happy to be playing in the FAI National League, and even more so to be representing Newbridge Town - a club I hold in high regard and which is based in the town where I live.”
To see Milton up close, fans can head along to Station Road this coming Saturday evening where Newbridge Town host Killarney Celtic at 5pm.
