Matías Ezequiel Di Benedetto (born 19 November 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Peruvian Liga 1 club Universitario.
 Di Benedetto playing with Deportes Temuco in 2020. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matías Ezequiel Di Benedetto | ||
| Date of birth | 19 November 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | José Mármol, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Central defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Universitario | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011-2013 | Arsenal de Sarandí | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014 | Unión Mar del Plata | 1 | (0) |
| 2015 | Villa San Carlos | 2 | (0) |
| 2015–2018 | Almagro | 51 | (1) |
| 2018 | Gimnasia de Jujuy | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Deportes Temuco | 90 | (6) |
| 2022 | Central Córdoba SdE | 21 | (0) |
| 2023– | Universitario | 65 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 November 2023 | |||
Career
editDi Benedetto came from the youth ranks of Arsenal de Sarandí, where he played from 2011 to 2013. He debuted in Unión de Mar del Plata in 2014. He then signed for a semester in Villa San Carlos. In the 2nd half of 2015, Di Benedetto signed with Club Almagro, being part of the squad that achieved promotion to the Primera B Nacional. He managed to stand out in Almagro's defense and played important matches, but with the arrival of manager Sebastián Battaglia in March 2018, Di Benedetto was progressively erased from the starting XI. For a long time, he shared the center of the defense with Richard Schunke.
He then signed for Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy, although he never managed to make an appearance from the start and only came twice from the bench. In late 2018, Di Benedetto rescinded his contract. Later, he accepted an offer to emigrate and play in Deportes Temuco, where he became an important piece of the defense, even wearing the captain's armband several times.[1] He played a total of 99 matches.
In 2022, Di Benedetto signed for Central Córdoba for one season,[2] where he played regularly but was always the third option for centre-back, behind Fabio Pereyra and Franco Sbuttoni. A month before the end of his contract with Central Córdoba, Di Benedetto received a proposal to play in Universitario de Deportes.
On December 6, 2022, he was formally announced as a new signing of Universitario for the 2023 season.[3] On May 5, in a Copa Sudamericana match against Santa Fe, Di Benedetto scored his first goal with la U: the defender headed the ball into the net to end the game 2–0 in favor of Universitario.[4] He played all of the group stage matches, where the Peruvian team placed second and qualified to the play-off round.[5] On July 7, against Academia Cantolao in the Estadio Nacional, Di Benedetto scored his first goal in the Liga 1 and his second with los cremas.[6] By the end of his first season in Peru, he had become an undisputed starter for Universitario and helped the team win the league after defeating Alianza Lima in the final, which gave Di Benedetto his first national trophy. In December 2023, he renewed his contract for a further 2 seasons.[7]
Career statistics
editAs of 18 November 2023[8]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Unión de Mar del Plata | 2014 | Torneo Federal A | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Villa San Carlos | 2015 | Primera B Metropolitana | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Almagro | 2015 | Primera B Metropolitana | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2016 | Primera Nacional | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2016–17 | Primera Nacional | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | Primera Nacional | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 51 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 1 | ||
| Gimnasia de Jujuy | 2018–19 | Primera Nacional | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Deportes Temuco | 2019 | Primera B de Chile | 28 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 4 |
| 2020 | Primera B de Chile | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | |
| 2021 | Primera B de Chile | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
| Total | 90 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 6 | ||
| Central Córdoba | 2022 | Argentine Primera División | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Universitario de Deportes | 2023 | Peruvian Liga 1 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 41 | 2 |
| Career total | 197 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 218 | 9 | ||
Honours
editClub
editReferences
edit- ^ Nagahama, Kenny (7 May 2023). "De la segunda de Chile a liderar en la Sudamericana con la 'U': ¿quién es Matías Di Benedetto?" [From Chile's second tier to leading in the Sudamericana with "la U": who is Matías di Benedetto?]. La República (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Matías Di Benedetto, nuevo refuerzo de Central Córdoba" [Matías Di Benedetto, new signing of Central Córdoba]. Santa Cruz en el Mundo (in Spanish). 14 January 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Directo desde Argentina: Universitario anunció a Matías Di Benedetto como su cuarto fichaje extranjero" [Straight from Argentina: Universitario announced Matías Di Benedetto as its fourth foreign signing]. Radio Programas del Perú (in Spanish). 6 December 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ Valdivia, Humberto (4 May 2023). "Gol de Matías Di Benedetto para el 2-0 en Universitario vs Santa Fe por Copa Sudamericana" [Matías di Benedetto scores the 2-0 goal in Copa Sudamericana match Universitario vs Santa Fe]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ La Rosa, Edilson (26 June 2023). "Universitario de Deportes enfrentará a Corinthians en playoffs de Copa Sudamericana" [Universitario de Deportes will face Corinthians in Copa Sudamericana play-offs]. Líbero (in Spanish).
- ^ "Tras revisión del VAR: gol de Di Benedetto para el 1-0 de Universitario vs. Cantolao" [After VAR review: Di Benedetto scores the 1-0 goal for Universitario vs Cantolao]. Depor (in Spanish). 7 July 2023.
- ^ "Se queda el 'Tano': Universitario anunció que Di Benedetto renovó contrato" ["Tano" stays: Universitario announced that Di Benedetto renewed his contract]. Depor (in Spanish). 8 December 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ "M. Di Benedetto – Profile". Soccerway. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
External links
edit- Matías Di Benedetto at Soccerway
- Matías Di Benedetto at BDFA (in Spanish)
- Matías Di Benedetto at SoloAscenso.com.ar (in Spanish)