Jair Benítez
Jair Benítez Sinisterra (born 11 January 1979 in Jamundí) is a Colombian footballer.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jair Benítez Sinisterra | ||
| Date of birth | 11 January 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Jamundí, Colombia | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999 | Envigado | 42 | (4) |
| 2000 | Santa Fe | 40 | (0) |
| 2001 | Envigado | 16 | (0) |
| 2001–2003 | Medellín | 48 | (1) |
| 2003 | Deportivo Pereira | 21 | (4) |
| 2003–2004 | Colón Santa Fe | 10 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Medellín | 80 | (7) |
| 2006–2009 | Deportivo Cali | 99 | (2) |
| 2009 | → Medellín (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2009–2014 | FC Dallas | 159 | (2) |
| 2016 | Atlético | 12 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2005–2007 | Colombia | 7 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 October 2014 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 November 2011 | |||
Career
Professional
Benítez has spent the majority of his career playing professionally in Colombia, having played 344 games and scoring 19 goals in Colombia's Fútbol Profesional Colombiano. He won a Fútbol Profesional Colombiano title with Independiente Medellín in 2002, and appeared in 17 regular season and Copa Libertadores games for Independiente Medellín in 2009, before signing with FC Dallas of Major League Soccer on 22 July.[1]
Since joining Dallas Benítez has been a key contributor, helping the club to reach the 2010 MLS Cup final.
International
Benítez is a full international with the Colombia national football team, and was part of the Colombian squads at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2007 Copa América.
Personal
Benítez holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[2]
Honours
FC Dallas
- Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship (1): 2010
