FM13 - Beñat Etxebarria

Beñat Etxebarria Urkiaga (born 19.2.1987) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Liga BBVA side Real Betis. He is a central midfielder who is known for his precise short and long passing and his set piece ability. Beñat has the ability to contribute to a number of aspects of play and is skilled at both defending and attacking. In particular, his ability to create attacking moves and pick the right option, combined with his excellent long shooting, make him a threat from long range either from a crafted move or from a shot from distance. A footballer of Basque heritage, Beñat began his career with Athletic Bilbao, where he trained as a youth player from 1998 to 2005. He stayed at Bilbao until the conclusion of the 2008/09 Liga BBVA season but only made one appearance off the bench for the senior team, spending most of his time with the reserves or third team. He was eventually signed by Real Betis on a free transfer, and also spent his first season there with the reserves in the third division.

He made his first appearance for the Betis senior side in August 2010 and has since made 86 league appearances, returning 14 goals. In May 2012 he earned his first senior cap for Spain in a 2-0 victory over Serbia and has gone on to collect four caps to date. He has also made two appearances for the Basque national team.

Beñat is a well rounded midfielder valued at $13.5m AUD (£9m), earning $17,500 AUD p/w (£11,500 p/w) at Real Betis. He is considered a key player at his club but can be made available for £12-15 million in the first transfer window. As a last resort, he has a minimum fee release clause of £17.5 million. Due to the mediocre reputation of his club side and his low current wages, Beñat is willing to join high reputation clubs in a number of leagues for reasonable wages.

He is an extremely creative player and his defensive capabilities make him best suited for a role as a Deep-Lying Playmaker, though he can be used effectively as an Advanced Playmaker or a Central Midfielder. He is also a set piece specialist and can be relied upon to hit the target from most dead-ball situations. In short, he is a cheap alternative to such players as Andrea Pirlo and Xavi.

Beñat has a Spirited personality, indicating high professionalism, resistance to pressure and a good temperament. He has a Very Strong right foot and a Reasonable left foot, giving him the ability to create moves with either foot with consistency and precision.

Beñat's attributes have been tweaked slightly in the latest FM update. Though some attributes have been reduced, other more important attributes have improved and he is every inch as effective in midfield as he was previously. The changes are as follows:

Nice thread fella.

Very nice thread

And a great player... I think the obvious comparison to make would be that of Cabaye with him, and I'm sure Benat could be just as important to any team as the frenchman is to his.

Also, didn't know you could get him for that price, will have to give him a look when playing with a top 10 side in the prem.

I usually have my longest, most involved save with Athletic Bilbao and Benat's Basque status makes him a must-have (especially this season, with Javi Martinez gone). As I use him to fill that hole - and Herrera is such a great playmaker - he does a lot of the dirty work for me, although his quality on the ball and passing and playmaking is exceptional too.