Rafael Benítez

Rafael Benítez

Personal information
Full name	Rafael Benítez Maudes
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Liverpool (manager)
Youth career
197?–	Real Madrid Aficionados
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1974–1981	Castilla CF
1981–1985	AD Parla
1985–1986	Linares CF
International career
1979–1981	Spain Universities XI
Managerial career
1986–1989	Castilla Youth B
1989–1991	Real Madrid Youth B
1991–1993	Real Madrid U-19s
1993–1995	Real Madrid B
1995–1996	Real Valladolid
1996–1997	Osasuna
1997–1999	Extremadura
2000–2001	Tenerife
2001–2004	Valencia
2004–	Liverpool
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Template:Spanish name 2 Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes (Born 16 April 1960) is the manager of Liverpool Football Club.

Born in Madrid, Benítez played football throughout his youth and joined the Real Madrid academy. He mixed his university studies with his football career at lower division Spanish teams. He joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under 19 and reserve team coach, and assistant manager for the senior team. Benítez moved away from Real Madrid but management spells at Real Valladolid and Osasuna were short-lived and unsuccessful.

Benítez guided Segunda División side Extremadura back to the Primera División in his first season in 1997, but the team was relegated the following season. He left the club, taking a brief break from football before returning to coach Tenerife in 2000. Benítez was appointed coach of Valencia and he proved himself to be amongst the top Spanish managers by winning La Liga in the 2001–02 season—Don Balón and El País named him Manager of the Year. In 2004, another league title and a UEFA Cup victory were added. However, a disagreement between Benítez and the club director over team investment caused the Spaniard to switch to English Premier League outfit Liverpool.

Benítez was a high-achiever in his first season as he guided Liverpool to victory in the UEFA Champions League, the highest honour in European club football. In the following three seasons he won the FA Cup, amongst other honours, and reached the 2007 Champions League Final, but has remained unable to win the Premier League, with Liverpool's best performance under Benitez a second place finish in 2008-09.

Early career

Benitez passed through the ranks, playing as a midfielder for both Real Madrid Aficionados in the Tercera División and Castilla CF, in the Segunda División. He also enrolled as a student at INEF, the sports faculty at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and in 1982 he obtained a degree in Physical Education.

In 1979, Benítez was selected to play for the Spain Universities XI at the World Student Games in Mexico City and he scored a penalty in the opening game, a 10–0 win against Cuba. In the next game, a 0–0 draw against Canada, he was injured following a hard tackle. The injury saw him sidelined for a year which realistically ended his chances of becoming a major player. In 1981, Benítez joined Tercera División side Parla. Initially he joined Parla on loan, but eventually signed for them permanently and helped them gain promotion to Segunda División B. He also played a further three games for the Spain Universities XI. In 1985 he signed for Segunda División B club Linares and under Enrique Mateos he served as a player/coach. Further injury problems saw him miss almost the entire 1985–86 season and he subsequently retired as a player.

Real Madrid youth coach

In 1986, at the age of twenty six, Benítez returned to Real Madrid and joined the club’s coaching staff. At the start of the 1986–87 season, he was appointed coach of Castilla B. With this team he won two league titles in 1987 and 1989. He won a third league title with Real Madrid Youth B in 1990. Halfway through the 1990–91 season he succeeded José Antonio Camacho as the coach of the Real Madrid Under 19s. With this team he won the Spain Under 19s Cup in 1991 and 1993, beating Barcelona in both finals. In 1993 the team completed a double when they also won the national Under 19 league. While at Real, Benítez also gained his coaching certificate in 1989 and in the summer of 1990 he taught at a football camp at the University of California, Davis in California.

During the 1992–93 season Benítez also worked as an assistant coach to Mariano García Remón at Real Madrid B. After his success with the Under 19s, Benítez then succeeded García Remón at the start of the 1993–94 season. Real Madrid B were then playing in the Segunda División and on 4 September 1993 he made his debut as a Segunda División manager with a 3–1 over Hércules CF. In March 1994 he became assistant manager to Vicente del Bosque with the senior Real Madrid team before returning to coach Real Madrid B for the 1994–95 season.

Early Coaching Experience

The first attempts by Benítez at senior management away from the Real Madrid fold were less than successful. He was appointed manager of Real Valladolid for the 1995–96 season but was sacked after only two wins in 23 games with the club bottom of the Primera División. During the 1996–97 season, Benítez took charge at Osasuna in the Segunda División but after only 9 games and one win he was sacked. He did, however, meet the fitness instructor Pako Ayestarán at the club, and went on to form a partnership with him at several clubs for the next decade. In 1997, he joined another Segunda División side, Extremadura and this time led them to promotion, finishing second in the table behind Deportivo Alavés, after winning 23 out of 42 games. Extremadura only survived one season in Primera División, however, and were relegated in 1999 after finishing seventeenth and losing a play-off to Villarreal.

Benítez subsequently quit CF Extremadura and took a year out studying in England and Italy. He also worked as a commentator/analyst for Eurosport, Marca, El Mundo and local Madrid TV. In 2000 he was appointed manager of CD Tenerife of the Segunda División and with a team that included Mista, Curro Torres and Luis García, he gained promotion to La Liga by finishing third in the league behind Sevilla and Real Betis.

Valencia CF

Valencia suck's

Liverpool FC

2004–05 Champions of Europe

Rafa is Gay

Relations with other managers

File:Zola & Benetiz Upton Park 09May09.jpg

With West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola at Boleyn Ground 09 May 2009.

Rafa is a cunt and so is Fergie

Management Style

Benítez has developed a reputation in English football as a ruthless tactician, with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitting he longed for a "well done" from Benítez after good performances. Benítez' ruthlessness can be seen in the way he disposed of all but Gerrard and Jamie Carragher from his Champions League winning squad within four seasons, with penalty shoot-out hero Jerzy Dudek made back-up goalkeeper the very season after the European triumph.

Benítez has preferred a 4-2-3-1 formation during his time at Valencia and Liverpool. Benítez has often been praised for his tactical acumen, particularly in European ties, setting his team up to exploit opposition weaknesses. His calm demeanor and tactical changes at half time of the 2005 European cup final were said to give players belief they could battle back from 3-0 down, although he had to correct his plans when it was pointed out to him his new formation would require 12 players on the pitch. Benítez often plays key players out of position to suit a formation - notably converting both Steven Gerrard (in the 2005/06 season) and Dirk Kuyt into right-wingers.

Benítez brought two Continental management traits to English football, squad rotation and zonal marking. Despite heavy criticism from the English press of his squad rotation, Benítez persisted, with the reward of a Champions League and FA Cup triumph in his first two seasons. Benítez argued he needed to rotate his small squad to ensure key players were fit for the latter stages of these knockout competitions. It is notable that in recent seasons Benítez has rotated his squad less, contributing to better league runs but no Cup success.

The tactic of zonal marking, not used by another Premier League manager, is often derided by pundits when Liverpool concede from set-pieces. Benítez stands by his tactic, pointing out teams who man-mark concede just as many, if not more, goals from set pieces.

Benítez has been criticised by some sections of the Liverpool support for failing to develop any local players, none having made the progression from the Academy to the first team under his management while promising youngsters such as Stephen Warnock, Danny Guthrie and Adam Hammill have been sold. Benítez instigated a host of backroom changes at the end of the 2008/09 season to improve the club's youth development, including the appointment of club legend Kenny Dalglish in a senior role at the Academy.

Personal life

Bentiez's father, Francisco Benítez, worked as an hotelier. Rafael Benítez mother is Rosario Maudes. Rosario was a big football fan and supported Real Madrid, while his father supported Atlético Madrid. Francisco died in December 2005 while Benítez was in Japan for the FIFA Club World Championship.

Rafael Benítez married with Maria de Montserrat in 1998. Rafael Benítez and Maria de Montserrat have two daughters, Claudia, who was born in Madrid in 1999, and Ágata who was born in Valencia in 2002.

Statistics

Manager

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Win %
Tenerife		19 July 2000	30 June 2001	42	21	11	10	050.00
Valencia		1 July 2001	16 June 2004	163	87	43	33	053.37
Liverpool		16 June 2004	Present	313	179	66	68	057.19
Total				518	287	120	111	55.04

As of 22 NOV 2009

Honours

Player

Parla

• Tercera División
  • Winner (1): 1981–82

Manager

Real Madrid U-19s

• Spain U-19 League
  • Winner (1): 1993
• Spain U-19 Cup
  • Winner (2): 1991, 1993

Extremadura

• Segunda División
  • Promotion:(1): 1997–98

Tenerife

• Segunda División
  • Promotion (1): 2000–01

Valencia

• La Liga
  • Winner (2): 2001–02, 2003–04
• UEFA Cup
  • Winner (1): 2003–04

Liverpool

• FA Cup
  • Winner (1): 2006
• FA Community Shield
  • Winner (1): 2006
• UEFA Champions League
  • Winner (1): 2004–05
• European Super Cup
  • Winner (1): 2005

Individual Awards

• Don Balón Award
  • Winner (1): 2001-02
• UEFA Manager of the Year
  • Winner (2): 2003–04, 2004–05
• FA Premier League Manager of the Month
  • Winner (5): November 2005, December 2005, January 2007, October 2008, March 2009

See also

• List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winning managers
• List of UEFA Cup winning managers
• List of Liverpool F.C. managers
• List of Valencia CF managers

External links

Biographies

• Liverpool FC Official Website profile
• Rafalution - Rafa Benítez fansite
• Manager profile at LFChistory.net
• Manager profile at This Is Anfield

Statistics

• Rafael Benítez management career statistics at Soccerbase
• La Liga manager stats at www.lfp.es
• Segunda División manager stats at www.lfp.es

Valencia CF

• 2001-02
• 2002-03
• 2003-04

Awards

• Spanish football awards