Rafael Benitez Maudes was born on 16 April 1960 and is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed Premier League club Everton.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,064 |
66 Facts About Rafa Benitez
2.
Rafa Benitez moved away from Real Madrid in 1995, but management spells at Real Valladolid and Osasuna were short-lived and unsuccessful.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,065 |
3.
Rafa Benitez left the club, and coached Tenerife in 2000, winning promotion in his only season.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,066 |
4.
Rafa Benitez returned to Italy in 2013 to coach Napoli, where he won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,067 |
5.
Rafa Benitez then left Napoli and became coach of Real Madrid in June 2015 on an initial three-year contract.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,068 |
6.
Rafa Benitez was appointed as manager of Newcastle United in March 2016 in an attempt to save the club from relegation.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,069 |
7.
Rafa Benitez was unable to avoid relegation, but earned promotion back to the Premier League the following year, winning the Championship.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,070 |
8.
Rafa Benitez left the club in June 2019 and the following month was appointed manager of Chinese Super League club Dalian Professional.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,071 |
9.
Rafa Benitez left the club by mutual consent in January 2021 before taking over as manager at Everton in June.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,072 |
10.
Rafa Benitez was dismissed in January 2022 after a run where Everton lost 9 out of 13 games.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,073 |
11.
Rafa Benitez passed through the playing ranks as a midfielder for both Real Madrid Aficionados in the Tercera Division and Castilla CF in the Segunda Division.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,074 |
12.
Rafa Benitez enrolled as a student at INEF, the sports faculty at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid and in 1982 he obtained a degree in physical education.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,075 |
13.
In 1986, at the age of 26, Rafa Benitez returned to Real Madrid to join the club's coaching staff.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,076 |
14.
Rafa Benitez won a third league title with Real Madrid Youth B in 1990.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,077 |
15.
Rafa Benitez did meet the fitness instructor Pako Ayestaran at the club, and went on to form a partnership with him at several clubs for the next decade.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,078 |
17.
In 2001, Rafa Benitez was appointed coach of Valencia, replacing Hector Cuper.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,080 |
18.
Rafa Benitez said, "I was hoping for a sofa [a defender] and they've brought me a lamp [Fabian Canobbio], " in reference to the positions he wanted to be strengthened.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,081 |
19.
On 16 June 2004, Rafa Benitez was appointed manager of Liverpool, replacing Gerard Houllier, becoming the first Spaniard to manage in the Premier League.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,082 |
20.
Rafa Benitez was unable to convince Michael Owen to extend his contract; he was sold to Real Madrid.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,083 |
21.
Later in the summer transfer window, Rafa Benitez signed several players from La Liga, most notably Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso, both of whom drew immediate admiration from Liverpool supporters.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,084 |
22.
Rafa Benitez gave new life to existing Liverpool players, transforming Jamie Carragher from a utility player to one of Europe's top centre backs alongside Sami Hyypia.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,085 |
23.
Rafa Benitez's tactics were credited as a key factor in Liverpool reaching, and winning, the final, despite a relatively unimpressive squad of players.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,086 |
24.
Rafa Benitez quickly discarded Vladimir Smicer and Igor Biscan, who played key roles in the European success but seemingly did not figure in Rafa Benitez's long-term plans.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,087 |
25.
Rafa Benitez quickly sold Josemi and Antonio Nunez, two of his first signings in English football, after they failed to establish themselves, with the likes of Peter Crouch, Mohamed Sissoko, Daniel Agger as well as former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler being brought in to strengthen the side.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,088 |
26.
Rafa Benitez swiftly issued a statement through the club's website re-affirming his desire to remain with Liverpool for the long term.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,089 |
27.
Gillett declared himself delighted with the manager of his new investment, as Rafa Benitez overcame his domestic difficulties to lead Liverpool to another Champions League final.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,090 |
28.
Rafa Benitez's spending was, eventually, significant, breaking Liverpool's transfer record when signing Spanish striker Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid as well as signing Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun, Lucas Leiva and Andriy Voronin.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,091 |
29.
Rafa Benitez said that his future was at Liverpool and signalled his long-term intentions by appointing Sammy Lee as his new assistant to replace his long-time right-hand man, Pako Ayestaran, who quit after a reported disagreement, which Rafa Benitez admitted "hurt" him and arguably Liverpool's titles hopes.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,092 |
31.
Rafa Benitez had reportedly intended to sell Xabi Alonso to fund the purchase of Barry, but Liverpool CEO Rick Parry was reported to have prioritised signing Robbie Keane over Barry, causing tension when Barry did not arrive.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,094 |
32.
Rafa Benitez still appeared to be at odds with Liverpool's owners, publicly turning down a contract extension and demanding more control over transfers.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,095 |
33.
At one point, rumours of Rafa Benitez quitting or being dismissed became so great that bookmakers had to suspend betting on the subject.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,096 |
34.
Rafa Benitez defended his decisions, arguing Liverpool's slow start was due to key players such as Steven Gerrard being below par.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,097 |
35.
Shortly after his departure from Anfield, Rafa Benitez made a £96,000 donation to the Hillsborough Family Support Group.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,098 |
36.
On 10 June 2010, and only a few days after leaving Liverpool, Rafa Benitez agreed a deal to become the new head coach of Serie A and reigning Champions League title-holders Inter Milan, a post that was left vacant by the departure of Jose Mourinho, who left to manage Real Madrid.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,099 |
37.
On 15 June 2010, Rafa Benitez was presented to the Italian media for the first time after signing a two-year deal.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,100 |
38.
Rafa Benitez's demands were dismissed out of hand by the Inter ownership, with Massimo Moratti refusing to comment on Rafa Benitez's continued employment by the club.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,101 |
39.
Rafa Benitez was unveiled as the new Chelsea manager at a press conference on 22 November 2012.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,102 |
40.
Rafa Benitez appointed Boudewijn Zenden as his new assistant manager at Chelsea on the same day.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,103 |
41.
Rafa Benitez confirmed that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,104 |
42.
Rafa Benitez described his relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich as "excellent" and expressed his desire to remain as Chelsea manager until the end of the season.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,105 |
43.
Rafa Benitez didn't take part in the lap of honour after the match, but many fans showed their appreciation for his efforts during the season, a notable contrast to the hostile reception he received before.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,106 |
44.
On 27 May 2013, it was announced that Rafa Benitez had signed for Napoli, whose manager Walter Mazzarri had resigned.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,107 |
45.
Rafa Benitez agreed a two-year contract after meeting club president Aurelio De Laurentiis in London.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,108 |
46.
On 3 June 2015, Rafa Benitez was confirmed as the new Real Madrid manager, signing a three-year contract.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,109 |
47.
On 4 January 2016, Rafa Benitez's contract was terminated following allegations of unpopularity with supporters, displeasure with players and a failure to get good results against top sides.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,110 |
48.
On 11 March 2016, Rafa Benitez was appointed as the manager of relegation threatened Newcastle United, signing on an initial three-year deal.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,111 |
49.
On 2 July 2019, Rafa Benitez was appointed manager of Chinese Super League side Dalian Professional, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,112 |
50.
On 23 January 2021, Rafa Benitez left the club by mutual consent, citing concerns over the health and wellbeing of his family due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for his departure.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,113 |
51.
Rafa Benitez was appointed manager of Premier League club Everton on a three-year contract on 30 June 2021, replacing Carlo Ancelotti who left to join Real Madrid.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,114 |
52.
Under Rafa Benitez Everton enjoyed a winning streak across the Premier League and EFL Cup in their first four games.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,115 |
53.
Rafa Benitez has had confrontations with both Jose Mourinho and Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson during his time in English football.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,116 |
54.
Rafa Benitez made a number of suggestions during Mourinho's tenure as manager that Roman Abramovich's money had bought Chelsea's success, and the pair refused to shake hands after some matches.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,117 |
55.
When Mourinho exited Chelsea in 2007, Rafa Benitez said, "You know my relationship with him, it is better that I do not say anything", declining to comment as Ferguson and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,118 |
56.
Rafa Benitez has had confrontations with Sam Allardyce when he was manager of Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,119 |
57.
Allardyce suggested that Rafa Benitez had signalled the game was over despite Liverpool only having a two-goal lead.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,120 |
58.
Rafa Benitez later explained this gesture: he said he had previously told Xabi Alonso to take a short free-kick.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,121 |
59.
Rafa Benitez said that he had jokingly signalled to Alonso to ignore his instructions and not that he thought the game was effectively over.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,122 |
60.
Rafa Benitez has developed a reputation in English football as a hard man to please, with former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitting he longed for a "well done" from Rafa Benitez after good performances.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,123 |
61.
Rafa Benitez was highly regarded for his tactical acumen particularly in European ties, setting his team up to exploit opposition weaknesses.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,124 |
62.
Rafa Benitez often plays key players in unorthodox positions to suit a formation – notably converting both Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt into right-wingers.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,125 |
63.
Rafa Benitez is a firm believer in squad rotation and zonal marking.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,126 |
64.
Rafa Benitez argued he needed to rotate his small squad to ensure key players were fit for the latter stages of these knockout competitions.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,127 |
65.
Tactic of zonal marking has been criticised by pundits when Liverpool concede from set-pieces in spite of the fact that Rafa Benitez's squads are usually renowned for their defensive nature and low number of goals scored against them.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,128 |
66.
Rafa Benitez stands by his tactic, pointing out that teams who man-mark concede just as many, if not more, goals from set pieces.
| FactSnippet No. 1,855,129 |