Benja (footballer)

Benjamín Martínez Martínez (born 23 August 1987), commonly known as Benja, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Hércules CF.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Martínez and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.
Benja
Benja in action for Girona in 2012
Personal information
Full name Benjamín Martínez Martínez
Date of birth (1987-08-23) 23 August 1987
Place of birth Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Hércules
Youth career
Sant Cugat
Mercantil
2005–2006 Damm
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Espanyol B 0 (0)
2006–2008 → Europa (loan) 64 (16)
2008–2011 Barcelona B 62 (17)
2008 → Reus (loan) 18 (8)
2011–2013 Girona 51 (14)
2013 Córdoba 0 (0)
2014–2015 Las Palmas 5 (1)
2015 → Sabadell (loan) 14 (1)
2015–2016 Llagostera 31 (3)
2016–2017 Cultural Leonesa 39 (25)
2017–2019 Elche 61 (14)
2019 → Hércules (loan) 19 (4)
2019– Hércules 24 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 March 2020

He played 142 games and scored 24 goals in Segunda División for Barcelona B, Girona, Las Palmas, Sabadell, Llagostera and Elche, adding 144 matches and 52 goals in Segunda División B for four clubs.

Club career

Born in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Benja concluded his youth development at CF Damm before joining RCD Espanyol B in 2006, spending his tenure on loan at CE Europa. Two years later he joined another reserve team, FC Barcelona B, and after a loan at CF Reus Deportiu he scored eight goals in 26 games in his first season as they won promotion from Segunda División B, including a hat-trick in a 3–3 away draw against Polideportivo Ejido in the first leg of the play-off first round.[1]

On 14 July 2011, Benja transferred to Segunda División side Girona FC,[2] totalling 14 goals in 53 competitive matches over the next two campaigns, two of those coming in the first 11 minutes of a 3–1 home win over Sporting de Gijón on 29 September 2012.[3] The following 24 February he suffered a serious left knee injury against Córdoba CF, but he nonetheless agreed to sign for this club on 27 June; the deal was frozen until his recovery.[4]

After terminating his contract in January 2014, Benja joined another second level team, UD Las Palmas, on the anniversary of his injury.[5] The following 7 January he returned to his native region once more, after being loaned to CE Sabadell FC for the rest of the campaign,[6] which ended in relegation.

On 27 July 2016, after suffering the same fate with UE Llagostera, Benja dropped into division three for the first time in six years, moving to Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa.[7] Roughly one year later, after scoring a career-best 25 goals – 26 across all competitions – to help the club return to the second tier after 42 years,[8] the 30-year-old joined Elche CF.[9]

In his first season at the Estadio Martínez Valero, Benja scored 14 times in all competitions,[10] including the crucial goal in a 3–2 aggregate win over Villarreal CF B in the playoff final to reach the second division on 23 June 2018.[11] Having not added another goal, he joined neighbouring Hércules CF in February 2019 on a short-term loan to cover the long-term injury of Stephane Emaná;[12] in July, following a playoff final defeat to SD Ponferradina, he signed a two-year deal.[13]

Honours

Cultural Leonesa

References
  1. "Poli Ejido y Barça B disputaron una segunda parte de locura" [Poli Ejido and Barça B contested a crazy second half]. Marca (in Spanish). 17 May 2010. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  2. "El Girona ficha a Benja y Juanlu" [Girona sign Benja and Juanlu]. Marca (in Spanish). 14 July 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  3. "El Girona sentencia al Sporting por la vía rápida" [Girona sentence Sporting in double-quick time]. Marca (in Spanish). 29 September 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  4. Gómez, Javier (28 September 2013). "Benja, un fichaje en el limbo" [Benja, a signing in limbo]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  5. "Las Palmas presenta a Benja como su nuevo delantero" [Las Palmas present Benja as their new forward]. Marca (in Spanish). 24 February 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  6. "Benja se marcha cedido al Sabadell" [Benja goes on loan to Sabadell] (in Spanish). UD Las Palmas. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  7. "Benja, nuevo fichaje de la Cultural Leonesa" [Benja, new signing for Cultural Leonesa] (in Spanish). Be Soccer. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  8. García, Sergio (11 July 2017). "La Cultural cambia los rostros del gol" [Cultural change the faces of goal]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  9. "OFICIAL | Benja, refuerzo para el Elche C.F" [OFFICIAL | Benja, Elche C.F. addition] (in Spanish). Elche CF. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  10. "El dilema de Benja" [Benja's dilemma]. Diario Infomación (in Spanish). 23 December 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  11. "El Elche es nuevo equipo de Segunda división" [Elche are new Second division team]. Marca (in Spanish). 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  12. "Benja: "Fichar por el Hércules no es para nada un paso atrás"" [Benja: "Signing for Hércules is not a step back at all"]. Diario Infomación (in Spanish). 18 February 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  13. Vázquez Freire, Rosa (8 July 2019). "El Hércules cierra el fichaje de Benja Martínez" [Hércules complete the signing of Benja Martínez] (in Spanish). Grada 3. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
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