Nico Otamendi races towards Benfica v Real Madrid, milestone in sight | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi is very close to achieving another important milestone in his career. With his eyes set on the clash against Real Madrid, the Benfica captain, if he plays in that match, will reach his 100th game in the Champions League, an impressive round number.

Heading into the final matchday of the Champions League group stage, the number 30 for the Eagles is thus very close to joining the 100 club. At the moment, Otamendi is the player in Benfica’s current squad with the most appearances in the prestigious competition. In total, the Argentine has played 43 matches, scoring two goals and providing two assists.

The list also includes names like Anatoliy Trubin and Fredrik Aursnes. The Ukrainian goalkeeper was second on the list, but has dropped to third place after the return of Rafa Silva. In total, the number 1 has played 39 matches on Europe’s main stage.

Completing the podium, the number 8 is the fourth most experienced player in the Benfica squad in the Champions League. Throughout his career, Aursnes has made 35 appearances in the top competition, five more than Georgiy Sudakov. The summer signing is in fifth place, with 30 official matches.

This season, wearing the Benfica jersey, Nicolás Otamendi — valued at 1 million euros — has already played a total of 33 official matches: 17 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 11 in the Champions League, two in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup, and one in the Super Cup. In the 2,970 minutes he has played, he has scored three goals.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.