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Happy Birthday Rafa Benitez – A tribute to the ‘the Gaffer’
Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has turned 61 today (April 16, 2021), so we thought we’d celebrate the Anfield career of the Spaniard.
Appointed in June 2004, following the departure of the late, great, Gerard Houllier, Benitez set about transforming the Reds’ fortunes.
Historically a club that collected trophies in the same way some people collect stamps, Liverpool hadn’t been competing amongst the elite for some time.
The man who earned the nickname ‘Rafa the gaffer’ was charged with changing that, but first, the Spanish boss had to deal with the loss of Michael Owen to Real Madrid and an unsettled Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard eventually stayed and went on to thrive under Benitez, who added a host of his compatriots to the squad initially – including Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso.
Despite missing out on domestic success, Liverpool achieved perhaps the greatest night in the club’s history under Benitez when the Reds came back from 3-0 down against AC Milan to win on penalties in the UEFA Champions League final – hailed ‘the miracle of Istanbul’.
Success in the UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and Community Shield followed, but ultimately Benitez failed to bring the holy grail and lift the Premier League during his tenure.
Despite this, the Spanish manager remains highly regarded amongst Kopites to this day and will forever go down in folklore for masterminding the 2005 final turnaround.
Slightly under six years after he arrived, Benitez left the club by mutual consent in June 2010 having won 194 of his 350 matches in charge.
Having since returned to England for spells with Chelsea and Newcastle United, the Spaniard recently left his position with DL Pro in China and is currently without a role.
Is Rafa Benitez A Liverpool Legend?
Yes
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No
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