Nicholas Benavides

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Nicholas Benavides

| image =

| caption =

| fullname = Nicholas Benavides Medeiros

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|11|5|df=y}}

| birth_place = Tung Chung, Hong Kong

| height = 1.73 m

| position = Left back
Left winger

| currentclub = Tai Po

| clubnumber = 87

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2020

| youthclubs1 = Lee Man

| years1 = 2021–2024

| clubs1 = Sham Shui Po

| caps1 = 50

| goals1 = 14

| years2 = 2024–

| clubs2 = Tai Po

| caps2 = 14

| goals2 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2024–

| nationalteam1 = Hong Kong

| nationalcaps1 = 4

| nationalgoals1 =2

| club-update = 30 March 2025

| nationalteam-update = 17 December 2024

}}

Nicholas Benavides Medeiros ({{lang-zh|尼高拉斯}}; born 5 November 2001) is a Hong Kong professional footballer of Chilean and Bolivian descent who currently plays as a left back or a left winger for Hong Kong Premier League club Tai Po and the Hong Kong national football team.

Club career

Benavides started playing football at the age of six.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-20 |title=新進港腳續求進步尼高拉斯：一切只係開始 |url=https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/sport/20241120/bkn-20241120181050839-1120_00882_001.html |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=on.cc東網 |language=zh-hk}} As a youth player, Benavides joined the youth academy of Lee Man, before getting released due to his "foreign player" status.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-08 |title=深水埗開操望代表地區踢出正能量 {{!}} 足球周刊 Football Weekly HK |url=https://www.footballweekly.hk/local/%E6%B7%B1%E6%B0%B4%E5%9F%97%E9%96%8B%E6%93%8D-%E6%9C%9B%E4%BB%A3%E8%A1%A8%E5%9C%B0%E5%8D%80%E8%B8%A2%E5%87%BA%E6%AD%A3%E8%83%BD%E9%87%8F/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |language=zh-hk}} He started his senior career with First Division club Sham Shui Po, where he gained promotion to the Hong Kong Premier League in 2022.

On 3 March 2024, Benavides scored his first career hat-trick against Rangers in a 3–1 win, which is Sham Shui Po's first win of the season.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-03 |title=港超聯尼高拉斯「戴帽」深水埗贏流浪開齋 |url=https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/sport/20240303/bkn-20240303165420892-0303_00882_001.html |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=on.cc東網 |language=zh-hk}} He became a free agent following Sham Shui Po's voluntary relegation back to the First Division.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-18 |title=大埔8位數挑戰港超伊高沙托尼驚喜回巢 |url=https://news.now.com/home/sports/player?newsId=sp38919516130 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Now 新聞 |language=zh-hk}}

In the summer of 2024, Benavides signed for Tai Po.{{Cite web |last= |author=袁志浩 |date=2024-07-18 |title=港超聯︱大埔覓地建基地八位數班費續挑戰前列伊高沙托尼回歸 |url=https://www.hk01.com/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82%E9%AB%94%E8%82%B2/1039246/%E6%B8%AF%E8%B6%85%E8%81%AF-%E5%A4%A7%E5%9F%94%E8%A6%93%E5%9C%B0%E5%BB%BA%E5%9F%BA%E5%9C%B0-%E5%85%AB%E4%BD%8D%E6%95%B8%E7%8F%AD%E8%B2%BB%E7%BA%8C%E6%8C%91%E6%88%B0%E5%89%8D%E5%88%97-%E4%BC%8A%E9%AB%98%E6%B2%99%E6%89%98%E5%B0%BC%E5%9B%9E%E6%AD%B8 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=香港01 |language=zh-HK}} On 1 September 2024, he debuted for the club during a 5–1 home win over Kowloon City in the 2024–25 Hong Kong Premier League.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-01 |title=港超聯火力十足！大埔5比1挫九龍城 |url=https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/sport/20240901/bkn-20240901180343618-0901_00882_001.html |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=on.cc東網 |language=zh-hk}}

International career

Previously, Benavides was eligible to represent Bolivia and Chile internationally through his parents, but he relinquished his citizenship of both countries on 19 August 2023 in order to play for Hong Kong.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-19 |title=Hong Kong debutant Benavides hungry for success after overcoming career stumble |url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3283028/hong-kong-footballs-latest-star-nicholas-benavides-out-overcome-anything-success |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}

In October 2024, Benavides was called up to the Hong Kong national football team for the first time.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-02 |title=中國香港代表隊 – 決選名單 |url=https://www.hkfa.com/news/press-/21154/detail |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=中國香港足球總會 |language=zh-HK}}{{Cite web |date=2024-10-03 |title=港足征列支敦士登決選名單大埔翼衛尼高拉斯首次入選：好興奮 {{!}} 獨媒報導 |url=https://www.inmediahk.net/node/%E9%AB%94%E8%82%B2/%E6%B8%AF%E8%B6%B3%E5%BE%81%E5%88%97%E6%94%AF%E6%95%A6%E5%A3%AB%E7%99%BB%E6%B1%BA%E9%81%B8%E5%90%8D%E5%96%AE-%E5%A4%A7%E5%9F%94%E7%BF%BC%E8%A1%9B%E5%B0%BC%E9%AB%98%E6%8B%89%E6%96%AF%E9%A6%96%E6%AC%A1%E5%85%A5%E9%81%B8%EF%BC%9A%E5%A5%BD%E8%88%88%E5%A5%AE |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=獨立媒體}}{{Cite web |last=袁志浩 |date=2024-10-02 |title=港足新帥首份決選名單新入籍兵首獲召土生土長終放棄智利護照 |url=https://www.hk01.com/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82%E9%AB%94%E8%82%B2/1062447/%E6%B8%AF%E8%B6%B3%E6%96%B0%E5%B8%A5%E9%A6%96%E4%BB%BD%E6%B1%BA%E9%81%B8%E5%90%8D%E5%96%AE-%E6%96%B0%E5%85%A5%E7%B1%8D%E5%85%B5%E9%A6%96%E7%8D%B2%E5%8F%AC-%E5%9C%9F%E7%94%9F%E5%9C%9F%E9%95%B7%E7%B5%82%E6%94%BE%E6%A3%84%E6%99%BA%E5%88%A9%E8%AD%B7%E7%85%A7 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=香港01 |language=zh-HK}}

On 15 October 2024, Benavides made his international debut for Hong Kong in a 3–0 home friendly win against Cambodia.{{Cite web |last=袁志浩 |date=2024-10-15 |title=港足無防中陣出擊艾華頓踢足全場獻入波主場三球挫柬埔寨 |url=https://www.hk01.com/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82%E9%AB%94%E8%82%B2/1066376/%E6%B8%AF%E8%B6%B3%E7%84%A1%E9%98%B2%E4%B8%AD%E9%99%A3%E5%87%BA%E6%93%8A-%E8%89%BE%E8%8F%AF%E9%A0%93%E8%B8%A2%E8%B6%B3%E5%85%A8%E5%A0%B4%E7%8D%BB%E5%85%A5%E6%B3%A2-%E4%B8%BB%E5%A0%B4%E4%B8%89%E7%90%83%E6%8C%AB%E6%9F%AC%E5%9F%94%E5%AF%A8 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=香港01 |language=zh-HK}}

On 8 December 2024, Benavides scored his first international goal in a 3–0 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualifier victory against Mongolia.{{Cite web |title=Hong Kong cruise past Mongolia in EAFF qualifiers - RTHK |url=https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1782622-20241208.htm |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=news.rthk.hk |language=en-gb}}

Personal life

Benavides was born in Hong Kong to a Bolivian mother and a Chilean father.{{Cite web |title=新进港脚续求进步　尼高拉斯：一切只系开始 |url=https://archive.today/20241124075351/https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/sport/20241120/bkn-20241120181050839-1120_00882_001_cn.html}} He can speak Cantonese and Spanish and is the younger brother of Hong Kong footballer Oscar Benavides.{{Cite web |title=尼高拉斯：放棄智利護照入籍香港，實現職業足球夢 |url=https://onetwohk.net/2024/03/14/nico/ |publisher=onetwohk.net}}

Career statistics

=Club=

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" ! rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|National Cup ! colspan="2" \|League Cup ! colspan="2" \|Other ! colspan="2" \|Total
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
rowspan="5" \|Sham Shui Po \|2020–21 \| rowspan="2" \|Hong Kong First Division \|6 \|4 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|6 \|4
2021–22 \|9 \|4 \| colspan="2" \|— \|6 \|3 \| colspan="2" \|— \|15 \|7
2022–23 \| rowspan="2" \|Hong Kong Premier League \|16 \|1 \|1 \|0 \|7Appearances in the Sapling Cup \|1 \| colspan="2" \|— \|24 \|2
2023–24 \|19 \|5 \|4 \|2 \|8 \|0 \|2Appearances in the Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield \|1 \|33 \|8
colspan="2" \|Total !50 !14 !5 !2 !21 !4 !2 !1 !78 !21
Tai Po \|2024–25 \|Hong Kong Premier League \|8 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|1 \|0 \|9 \|0
colspan="3" \|Career total !58 !14 !5 !2 !21 !4 !3 !1 !87 !21

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |National Cup

! colspan="2" |League Cup

! colspan="2" |Other

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps