Álvaro Benito
Encyclopedia
Álvaro Benito Villar is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a left midfielder
, and the vocalist
/guitar
ist of Rock
band Pignoise
.
's youth ranks, making his senior debuts not yet aged 18, with the C team
. He progressed to the reserves
the following year.
In 1995–96, Benito was relatively used by be first team, and contributed with seven games the following season, as the Merengues were crowned La Liga
champions. In November 1996, in his first - and only - appearance with the Spanish under-21 team
, 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.
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
, where he appeared rarely, again due to injury. He retired from football at the end of the season, aged only 26.
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.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who played as a left midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, and the vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
/guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist of Rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Pignoise
Pignoise
Pignoise is a Spanish pop rock band comprising three members: Álvaro on guitar and vocals, Polo on drums, and Pablo on bass.-Beginnings:After Álvaro, a former soccer player for teams such as Getafe CF and Real Madrid, suffered a serious injury, he began to play guitar and compose songs during his...
.
Football career
Benito emerged through Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
's youth ranks, making his senior debuts not yet aged 18, with the C team
Real Madrid C
Real Madrid C is a Spanish association football team that plays in the Tercera División. It is the second reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at La Ciudad del Real Madrid in Valdebebas outside the city of Madrid...
. He progressed to the reserves
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
the following year.
In 1995–96, Benito was relatively used by be first team, and contributed with seven games the following season, as the Merengues were crowned La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
champions. In November 1996, in his first - and only - appearance with the Spanish under-21 team
Spain national under-21 football team
The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita , competes in the biannual European Under-21 Football Championship.Following the realignment of UEFA's youth...
, he suffered a severe knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
injury from which he would never fully recover, undergoing three operations in only four months in 1998, in Pittsburgh, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; afterwards, he was involved in a car accident, which further curtailed his recovering process.
After one unassuming loan with CD Tenerife
CD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, with a 24,000-seat capacity.-History:Club Deportivo Tenerife was founded in...
, and another spell with Castilla, Benito was released by Real Madrid in the 2002 summer, joining city
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
neighbours Getafe CF
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
in Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
, where he appeared rarely, again due to injury. He retired from football at the end of the season, aged only 26.
Club
Real Madrid- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1999–2000, 2001–02 - Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 19981998 Intercontinental CupThe 1998 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 1 December 1998 between Real Madrid, winners of the 1997-98 UEFA Champions League, and Vasco da Gama, winners of the 1998 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo in front of 51,514 fans... - La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1996–97, 2000–01 - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 20012001 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2001 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 19 August and 22 August 2001. It contested by Real Zaragoza, who were Spanish Cup winners in 2000–01, and Real Madrid, who won the 2000–01 Spanish League. Real Madrid won 4–1 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second...
Country
Spain U16- UEFA U-16 ChampionshipUEFA European Under-17 Football ChampionshipThe UEFA U-17 Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. From 1982 to 2001 it was an Under-16 event.This meeting serves as a preliminary competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup every other year....
: Runner-up 19921992 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship-Semi-finals:-Third place match:-Final:-References:**...
Musical career
During his rehabilitation period, Benito started playing guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and writing songs, going on to put together a band, Pignoise
Pignoise
Pignoise is a Spanish pop rock band comprising three members: Álvaro on guitar and vocals, Polo on drums, and Pablo on bass.-Beginnings:After Álvaro, a former soccer player for teams such as Getafe CF and Real Madrid, suffered a serious injury, he began to play guitar and compose songs during his...
. The group, which also featured another former footballer, Héctor Polo (Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D., often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas...
), eventually used many of the songs he composed prior to its creation.