Nicholas Benavides Medeiros (Chinese: 尼高拉斯; born 5 November 2001) is a Hong Kong footballer who plays as a defender or winger for Tai Po and the Hong Kong national football team.

Nicholas Benavides
Personal information
Full name Nicholas Benavides Medeiros
Date of birth (2001-11-05) 5 November 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Tung Chung, Hong Kong
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Defender, winger
Team information
Current team
Tai Po
Number 87
Youth career
0000–2021 Lee Man
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2024 Sham Shui Po 35 (6)
2024– Tai Po 8 (0)
International career
2024– Hong Kong 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 November 2024

Early life

edit

Benavides was born on 5 November 2001 in Tung Chung, Hong Kong to a Bolivian mother and a Chilean father and started playing football at the age of six.[1] He can speak Cantonese and Spanish and is the older brother of Hong Kong footballer Oscar Benavides.[2]

Club career

edit

As a youth player, Benavides joined the youth academy of Lee Man, before starting his senior career with Sham Shui Po, where he made thirty-three league appearances and scored six goals and helped the club reach the final of the 2023–24 Hong Kong FA Cup. In 2024, he signed for Tai Po. On 1 September 2024, he debuted for the club during a 5–1 home win over Kowloon City in the league.

International career

edit

On 15 October 2024, Benavides debuted for the Hong Kong national football team during a 3–0 home friendly win over the Cambodia national football team. Previously, he was eligible to represent Bolivia and Chile internationally through his parents, but he relinquished his citizenship of both countries in order to play for the Hong Kong national football team.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ "新进港脚续求进步 尼高拉斯:一切只系开始".
  2. ^ "尼高拉斯:放棄智利護照入籍香港,實現職業足球夢". onetwohk.net.
  3. ^ "Hong Kong football's latest star Nicholas Benavides out to 'overcome anything' for success". scmp.com.
edit