Cándido Néstor Benítez Caballero (born 4 September 1943 in Tacumbú, Paraguay) is a former football defender and coach.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cándido Néstor Benítez Caballero | ||
| Date of birth | (1943-09-04) 4 September 1943 (age 78) | ||
| Place of birth | Tacumbú, Asunción, Paraguay | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1962 | Presidente Hayes | ? | (?) |
| 1964–1972 | Olimpia | ? | (?) |
| 1972 | Sportivo Luqueño | 7 | (0) |
| 1976 | Tembetary | ? | (?) |
| National team | |||
| Paraguay | ? | (?) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He started his career at Presidente Hayes from his hometown, Tacumbú. From there, he was transferred to Olimpia Asunción which was coached then by the great Aurelio González. While in Olimpia, Benitez won a number of national championships and was called up to the Paraguay national football team in a few occasions. In 1972, he went to Sportivo Luqueño but was only able to play seven games due to an injury that kept him off the field for a few years until 1976 where he came back to play for C.A. Tembetary and retire in the same year.
Benítez holds a record of playing 72 consecutive and uninterrupted games for Olimpia.[1]
As a coach, he managed teams like Independiente de Yaguarón, Olimpia de Itá, 6 de Enero de Lambaré and also worked in the youth divisions of Olimpia and Sol de América.
| Season | Team | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Olimpia | Paraguayan 1st division |
| 1968 | Olimpia | Paraguayan 1st division |
| 1971 | Olimpia | Paraguayan 1st division |
| 1976 | C.A. Tembetary | Paraguayan 2nd division |
| Season | Team | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Olimpia | Diario ABC award: 1967 best left back in Paraguay |