Christian "Chucho" Benitez left us too soon. On July 13, 2013 he entered a hospital in Doha, Qatar with abdominal pains. He never left.
We will probably never know what happened in that hospital, and his cause of death has been disputed.
What is not in dispute is that Chucho Benitez was a great player. He played the game with a joy that is rarely seen, exuding an infectious energy all around the pitch.
Playing most of his career in Mexico, Chucho spent one year in the Premier League with Birmingham City but never caught on in Europe. He was more comfortable closer to his native Ecuador, it seems.
Chucho was a pest, wiggling his way around defenders and nipping at their heels. He had an incredible first touch and an eye for goal, with speed that would punish opposing defenders for closing down with the wrong angle.
But more than that, Chucho embodied how we think we would feel if we were professional footballers. We would play the game with joy and energy, we think. But it's much easier to think that way than to actually play that way.
We think. Chucho did.
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
