Aday Benítez

Francisco Aday Benítez Caraballo (born 16 December 1987), known as Aday, is a Spanish former professional footballer. Mainly a winger, he could also play as a full-back.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Benítez and the second or maternal family name is Caraballo.

Aday

Aday with Girona in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Francisco Aday Benítez Caraballo[1]
Date of birth	(1987-12-16) 16 December 1987 (age 36)[1]
Place of birth	Sentmenat, Spain
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)[1]
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Europa (manager)
Youth career
1993–1998	Sentmenat
1998–2004	Granollers
2004–2005	Sentmenat
2005–2006	Granollers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2009	Premià
2009–2011	Sant Andreu	50	(4)
2011–2013	Hospitalet	58	(8)
2013–2014	Tenerife	13	(0)
2014–2021	Girona	185	(7)
Total		306	(19)
Managerial career
2022–2023	Europa B (assistant)
2023–2024	L'Escala
2024–	Europa
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He achieved Segunda División figures of 157 games and five goals over six seasons, with Girona (five years) and Tenerife (one). He appeared in La Liga with the first of those clubs.

Club career

Early career

Born in Sentmenat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Aday finished his development at local EC Granollers, making his senior debut with neighbouring CE Premià in the Tercera División.^[2] He first arrived in the Segunda División B in 2009 when he joined UE Sant Andreu,^[3] contributing 25 games and two goals in his first season as the team failed to promote in the play-offs.^[4]

Aday signed for CE L'Hospitalet in June 2011.^[5] In his second year he scored a career-best seven goals, with the side also being eliminated in post-season play.^[6]

Tenerife

On 5 July 2013, Aday moved to CD Tenerife, recently promoted to Segunda División.^[7] On 1 September he made his debut as a professional, playing the last 22 minutes of a 2–0 away loss against CD Mirandés.^[8]

Girona

On 16 July 2014, Aday joined Girona FC in the same league after terminating his contract with the Canarian club.^[9] He scored his first goal in the second tier on 4 October, the second in a 3–0 home win over SD Ponferradina after one minute on the pitch.^[10]

Aday featured regularly for the Blanquivermells the following campaigns, making 35 appearances in 2016–17 as they achieved promotion to La Liga for the first time ever.^[11] He made his debut in the competition on 19 August 2017, starting in the 2–2 home draw against Atlético Madrid.^[12]

Aday scored his first goal in the Spanish top flight on 23 October 2017, opening a 2–1 away defeat of Deportivo de La Coruña through a penalty kick.^[13] The following 7 February, he extended his contract until 2021.^[14]

In March 2023, already retired, Aday revealed that he was offered €50,000 to lose a match against Córdoba CF six years earlier, as Girona had already secured top-division promotion.^[15]

References

1. "Aday". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 March 2023.
2. Vázquez, Antonio (9 March 2023). "Quién es Aday Benítez, el exjugador del Girona que reconoció que le intentaron sobornar por dejarse ganar en un partido de Segunda División" [Who is Aday Benítez, the former Girona player who admitted they tried to bribe him to lose a second-division match] (in Spanish). Goal. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
3. "Pau y Aday, O.K. y Mikel Álvaro ya está casi hecho" [Pau and Aday, OK and Mikel Álvaro almost done]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 8 July 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
4. "El filial del Barcelona vuelve a Segunda doce años después" [Barcelona reserves return to Segunda twelve years later]. Marca (in Spanish). 20 June 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
5. Monzó, Bernat (3 June 2011). "Fichan a David Haro y Aday" [David Haro and Aday are signed]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 October 2013.
6. "El Eibar vuelve a Segunda cuatro años después" [Eibar return to Segunda four years later]. Marca (in Spanish). 30 June 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
7. "Aday es nuevo jugador del Tenerife" [Aday is a new Tenerife player]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 July 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
8. "El Mirandés quiso y pudo" [Mirandés wanted it and got it]. Marca (in Spanish). 1 September 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
9. "Aday Benítez jugará en el Girona" [Aday Benítez will play in Girona]. Marca (in Spanish). 16 July 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
10. "Máxima efectividad de un Girona que recupera la buena línea" [Maximum effectiveness from back-on-track Girona]. Marca (in Spanish). 4 October 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
11. Alfaro, Javier (29 December 2017). "El Girona llega a la élite tras 87 años de espera" [Girona reach the elite after an 87-year wait]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 March 2023.
12. Pérez, José Ignacio (19 August 2017). "El ADN del Atlético no se ficha" [You can't sign Atlético's DNA]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 August 2017.
13. "1–2. El Girona se estrena a domicilio en Primera a costa del Dépor" [1–2. Girona get first away from home in Primera at the expense of Dépor] (in Spanish). EFE. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
14. "Aday, rojiblanco hasta 2021" [Aday, red-and-white until 2021] (in Spanish). Girona FC. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
15. Villanueva, Pablo (9 March 2023). "Aday desvela la oferta que le hicieron para amañar un partido: "Me ofrecieron 50.000 euros por perder"" [Aday reveals offer he had to fix a match: "I was offered 50.000 euros to lose"] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 10 March 2023.

External links

• Aday Benítez at BDFutbol
• Aday Benítez at Futbolme (in Spanish)
• Aday Benítez at Soccerway