Nicholas Benavides
Nicholas Benavides Medeiros is a Hong Kong professional footballer who currently plays as a left back or a left winger for the Hong Kong national team.
Club career
Benavides started playing football at the age of six. As a youth player, Benavides joined the youth academy of Lee Man, before getting released due to his "foreign player" status. He started his senior career with [Hong Kong Hong Kong First Division League|First Division League|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. He became a free agent following Sham Shui Po's voluntary relegation back to the First Division.
In the summer of 2024, Benavides signed for Tai Po. 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.
In January 2026, Tai Po had announced Nicholas Benavides' departure from the club.
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.In October 2024, Benavides was called up to the Hong Kong national football team for the first time.
On 15 October 2024, Benavides made his international debut for Hong Kong in a 3–0 home friendly win against Cambodia.
On 8 December 2024, Benavides scored his first international goal in a 3–0 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualifier victory against Mongolia.