Numbers don’t lie: Otamendi is Benfica’s marathon man | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi continues to show that age is just a number. At 37 years old, the Argentine international is preparing to return to Lionel Scaloni’s squad. However, the use of the Benfica captain against Puerto Rico could very well jeopardize his presence in the match against Chaves.

This wouldn’t be the first time that the Glorioso’s number 30 has raced against the clock to be available for the Eagles’ commitments at the end of international breaks, as already happened in September before the match against Santa Clara. However, there are now doubts regarding his availability for the game against the Flavienses.

According to the newspaper A Bola, Otamendi is expected to start for the Albiceleste, about 72 hours before the Portuguese Cup match. His selection by Scaloni highlights just how important the 37-year-old footballer is, both for the national team and for the club. According to data presented by CIES, the Eagles’ captain accumulated a total of 6,103 minutes on the pitch between September 2024 and 2025.

Now, the only question is whether the Eagles’ center-back will return in time to contribute in the match against Chaves. It’s worth noting that the defender will only play against Puerto Rico in the early hours of October 14, after the authorities rescheduled the date and changed the location of the match.

Signed from Manchester City in 2020, the defender has since become one of Benfica’s main figures. In the current sports season, Nicolás Otamendi – currently valued at 1 million euros – has played every minute of all 15 matches. In the 1,350 minutes he has spent on the pitch, the Argentine has delivered several high-level performances.

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