Benitez had undetected heart problem, confirms doctor

By Mark Doyle

Aug 13, 2013 10:07:00 PM

The Ecuador international forward passed away last month after suffering a cardiac arrest a day after making his debut for El Jaish

An autopsy has revealed that Christian Benitez's sudden death was caused by a heart problem that had gone undetected for years.

The Ecuador international tragically passed away at the age of 27 on July 29, after suffering a cardiac arrest shortly after making his debut for El Jaish in Qatar.

Benitez's death shocked the entire footballing world and Dr. Particio Maldonado has now revealed that the fromer Birmingham City forward had a congential heart ailment "that cannot be detected even with very sophisticated exams".

"Medical science is not 100 per cent effective," Maldonado is quoted as saying by Inside World Football, "and we are left with painful incidents such as this."

Benitez scored 24 times in 58 apperancs for Ecuador, representing the nation at the 2006 World Cup finals. La Tri decided to retire the No.11 shirt in recognition of the player after his death. ------------------------------ goal.com