The pelao from Taganga who signed with Flamengo

From Taganga, a fishing district, located in a bay near Santa Marta, to Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in Brazil, the country of five times world champions.

That was the jump of César Benavides Cantillo, a 17-year-old player from Taganga, who arrived in Brazil last May with a suitcase full of dreams to sign for Flamengo, one of the greatest, oldest and winners of the country of the ‘jogo bonito ‘.

César, a midfielder turned defender, recently signed a contract with ‘Fla’ until December 2024, where he hopes to ratify what was shown in the last Copa Libertadores sub-20, the one he played with Millonarios, and that has made him stand out. well done for arousing the interest of a ‘scouting’ of the Brazilian team, who did not hesitate to bring him along.

The young Colombian has been working for a month in the sub-20 category of ‘Mengao’, where he hopes to make a career and, why not, fulfill his great desire, “to reach the first team”, where players of size from ‘Gabigol’, De Arrascaeta, Diego Alves, Bruno Henrique, David Luiz, Everton Ribeiro, Diego, Andreas Pereira, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, ‘Vitinho’ and Everton, among many others.

“Truth is a dream come true. When Flamengo’s offer arrived, I couldn’t believe it. At the time, I had several options — the Dallas of the MLS and the Getafe of Spain — but I decided to go with the team that for me is the biggest and most recognized team in South America. And here I am, trying to take advantage of this opportunity that life offers me at the age of 17. I dream of making it to the first team and I’m going to commit myself to that,” César said in dialogue with EL HERALDO.

But who is Cesar Benavides? Where did this Taganguero come from who today elevates the name of his humble district?

“I am a Taganguero who is proud of his country. I come from a humble family of fishermen who have worked hard to give me the best so that I could devote myself 100% to what I like, football, a sport I have been practicing since I was four years old. I started at a school in my city from a cousin named Taganga RZM. I played there until I was 10 and from there I went to the Adolfo León Campo school, where I attended until I was 13 or 14 years old. Then I made the jump to Santa Marta, to the European Academy, where I started playing my first national tournament, and then I went to Bucaramanga, where I was in two teams, Fire Soccer and PSD Panteras, where I played the Under-17 . National Tournament and the U-20 federation,” said the player who was raised and supported by his grandparents, César Cantillo and Edilsa Zúñiga.

“And there came my first big step in football. A millionaire scout saw me and took me for some tests. There I passed all the filters and tests to stay on the U-17 team. This year they promoted me to the sub-20 and with them I played the Copa Libertadores of the category, standing out in defense. I was really a midfielder, but one day they could put me at the center of things in life and I stayed there (laughs),” he adds.

It was that continental tournament that served as a springboard for him to make the jump to ‘Mengao’. César stood out in the games against Peñarol, the Porto Alegre International and the Quito University Sports League and caught the eye of a Flamengo observer, who decided to bet on his football. “The truth was I was doing really well, I was the youngest in Millionaires and I think one of the youngest in that tournament. It went so well that he got two offers, one from Dallas in the United States and one from Flamengo, and he chose the latter, because it was the one that caught my attention, for everything this team represents in South America.” said.

César, who played in Millonarios without a permanent contract, tells through the ambassador team what his short period — one year and three months — was like.

“I am very grateful to Millionaires because without them I would not be where I am today. There they gave me the chance to play those Copa Libertadores to make myself known. I just got back from the Cup, Professor Alberto Gamero approached me with the professional team and I had the opportunity to train with them for a while, but I never reached an agreement with the club, so I made the decision to go to Flamengo come up with well-being in mind me and my family,” he says.