Rafa Benitez has become something of a philanthropist since vacating the manager's role at Liverpool FC, with he and his wife Montse generously supporting a number of good causes around the city. However, Benitez is first and foremost a 'professional football manager', and he's desperate to get back into the game sooner rather than later.
Later this month, Benitez will take part in 'An Audience with Rafa Benitez', a fundraising event (which I will be attending) to support the Montse Benitez Foundation and local charities.
"We are organising something like this, having all the fans there, to give them something back; to give them all these thoughts that I have and at the same time raise money"
Benitez has made it clear though that he has to move forward with his career:
"But after this [event] I must say: 'Listen, I cannot do more for the city and the fans now. I must move forward now.' Whenever people say things about me, it always comes back to Liverpool – but I cannot just become 'the former manager'.
"I will not forget Liverpool and a part of [it] will always be in my heart but if another club comes I will try to do my best for that club, as I always have done. I am a professional football manager. I want to talk more about the future than the past."
Benitez has had a torrid time in management over the last year but he's an intelligent man, and I'm sure he will have learned something along the way.
I may not be the biggest fan of his management style, but he definitely has a lot to offer the right team, and on his day, he's capable of outwitting any manager on the planet.
I truly hope to see Benitez back in management sooner rather than later, preferably in the Premier League.
Tickets: An Audience with Rafa Benitez
Jaimie Kanwar
Later this month, Benitez will take part in 'An Audience with Rafa Benitez', a fundraising event (which I will be attending) to support the Montse Benitez Foundation and local charities.
"We are organising something like this, having all the fans there, to give them something back; to give them all these thoughts that I have and at the same time raise money"
Benitez has made it clear though that he has to move forward with his career:
"But after this [event] I must say: 'Listen, I cannot do more for the city and the fans now. I must move forward now.' Whenever people say things about me, it always comes back to Liverpool – but I cannot just become 'the former manager'.
"I will not forget Liverpool and a part of [it] will always be in my heart but if another club comes I will try to do my best for that club, as I always have done. I am a professional football manager. I want to talk more about the future than the past."
Benitez has had a torrid time in management over the last year but he's an intelligent man, and I'm sure he will have learned something along the way.
I may not be the biggest fan of his management style, but he definitely has a lot to offer the right team, and on his day, he's capable of outwitting any manager on the planet.
I truly hope to see Benitez back in management sooner rather than later, preferably in the Premier League.
Tickets: An Audience with Rafa Benitez
Jaimie Kanwar
Another example of your anti-Benitez agenda Jamie!
ReplyDeleteeh?
ReplyDeleteI'm being sarcastic - Jamie gets abused for it a lot.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely wish Rafa the very best for any post he gets.
ReplyDeleteI hope he comes back to Liverpool when Dalglish retires ...
ReplyDeleteMr Roll-on-the-floor Beneath-us can stay where he is and scre another club like he did with Liverpool and Inter
ReplyDeleteNobenitez. You re a disgrace. Crawl back to where you came from.
ReplyDeleteActually, Liverpool should consider bring him back on a short assignment to rid the defense problem they currently have. He is the best in defense strategies.
ReplyDeleteGoogle up the route to Blackburn, Rafa, could be a vacancy coming up there soon, but don't bank on loads of lolly from the owners !!!
ReplyDeletetop man top manager, if kenny ever goes bring him back...
ReplyDeleteGet a life mate. This is no way to treat a former manager of our beloved club!
ReplyDeleteTop Man: Rafa deeply loves Liverpool, The Club & The City.
ReplyDeleteHe did good things in the short time trophies, like Fa Cup, Cl, European Super Cup, but in a long term view He's not the right manager for the Club.
I sincerely wish all the best for him, but He's not the right manager.
I won't never switch King Kenny for Rafa.
Anyway, I won't never forget Istanbul, and Rafa's tears during memorial service.
Good Luck, Rafa.
P.S. I sincerely doubt that Rafa will get another chance in EPL, at least for now, He's a master of tichi - taca football, and He will have to rebuild his career in Spain.
I totally agree Leonerick
ReplyDelete(NO HARM INTENDED)
Rafa has no clue how the english game works and it was proven over six seasons. He is more suited fot the spanish league. He had his chance to get back in the EPL with Villa but talks broke down cause you guessed it...Rafa demanded money for players. McLeish seems to be doing fine with a team that was severely weakend with their best players leaving.
There is no doubt that Benitez can go back to Spain and achieve more success there. Liverpool unfortunately is out of the question for Rafa and it seems he has realised that.
Deep down inside I believe Rafa cares for the club but he had his time and "it was right for everbody" just as Kenny Dalglish said when Rafa left.
I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up MAN CITY OR CHELSEA one day. after all their aim is to win the Champion league and i don't think there's many better than Rafa in Europe .
ReplyDeleteHe's record is there for all to see. we were no1 in Europe
.but in the league not quite there
Mali341
ReplyDeleteI was expecting you to somehow lose your marbles with my post, I am gobsmacked?
To be really honest, Abramovich and Rafa would be like taking ice cold water and chucking it into a pot of boiling oil. It will not work.
The problem with both City and Chelsea is that a manager that decides to take up their hot seat needs to be prepared to accept the axe at any given time. Benitez is not that type of man.
No clue?
ReplyDelete2006 and 2009 2nd places = no clue?
His last season stank, but against the backdrop of open warfare in the boardroom.
It genuinely distresses me how lowly our own fans rate him.
If Dalglish does half what Rafa did in the next 5 years we'll be well pleased.
Jamie, good article, keep up the honest objectivity.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Andy
In 08/09 we should have won the EPL but Rafa bottled it and proved that Rafa was not cut out for the job.
ReplyDeleteDalglish is back and if there is one thing that Kenny is itching to win again is the trophy which has been non existent since he left. Will that be half of what Benitez delivered?
Benitez was a great manager it was a pity he didnt have the owners the club has now supporting him.
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see someone who gives something back to those who supported him and the city at large that is a rare quality and shows class.
How do you work that out? He bottled it? Don't be silly...... we were top scorers in the league that season. How did we bottle it?
ReplyDeleteThat's what sky sports would have you believe. Check the stats and make your own mind up.
Aha, more ignorance. How can I tell, well....
ReplyDeleteFirstly, have a look that over the first five seasons, we progressed year on year (finishing 2nd once). It was only when he had to start selling and wasn't given the budget he was promised that things started to go wrong.
Second, you have no grounds for saying what you did about Spain. Totally without any evidence to back up what you are saying.
Third, it is probably a bit early to judge McCleish at Villa and to suggest you know why Rafa didn't go to Villa, having obviously had a seat on the discussion panel, it a bit far fetched. In fact, it was reported in much of the press, Villa only had talks with Rafa's agent once. He certainly is not reknowned for attacking football though.
Tim
ReplyDeleteBeing top scorers means bugger all. The team who won it that season scored less goals than us so the stats in this case are pretty irrelevant.
Rafa bottled it, plain and simple.
Tim, I really am being honest when saying Rafa is more suited for La Liga. He did well with Valencia and he will do well with the next club he manages there.
ReplyDeleteIt might seem like I hate Benitez. I have been on this site for quite some time and have always stated that I have no problem with Benitez as a person but do not want to see him as our manager again. He brought us good times and I have stated the same before too. I was once a die hard fan of him myself but eventually I could see that it was not meant to be. There shall always be a divide when it come to Rafa. There are fans who still bleed for him and others who take comfort with him not being at Anfield anymore. That is the way the story continues and probably will continue for some time to come.
Remember when we came second in the league with Benitez. We thrashed MANU 4-1 at Old Trafford, Thrashed ReaL Madrid 4-0 and drew 4-4 at Chelsea. We were as good as any team in the world then. We had world class players Gerrard,Alonso,Mascherano Arbeloa and a rampant Torres. This was one year before Benitez was got rid of. He was getting closer to understanding that you have to attack more in English football. But we were always a threat in Europe Can you say the present team matched that team under Benitez.
ReplyDeleteI hope Kenny turns it round but I wish we had kept Benitez.
2 losses the whole season. We sure bottled it right. lol
ReplyDeleteFor all of you Benitez haters. If it wasnt for this man we would still be stuck at 4 champions league trophies. Gerrard would have gone to chelsea. Alonso and Reina would never have been found. Torres wouldn't even be half the striker he was under Benitez. All of you actually wouldn't even have had these ridiculous high expectations in the first place if it wasn't for Benitez, where was this . One of the most feared teams in Europe at one time. Best players bought from us from the top teams in the world. How can you say so much bad things about this man when he never even had control of the project he wanted to run. You haters should just crawl back under the rock you came from before internet became so big. I havn't even named half of the good things rafa did for Liverpool. So anyone want to argue, bring it.
ReplyDeleteIf Dalglish wins the title he'll eclipse Rafa.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he will though. I don't think our record over the next 5 years will be as good as a European cup, losing finalists, losing semi-finalists twice and quarter finalists once....and an FA cup...and a couple of 80 point finishes and mostly about 70.
People forget how god Rafa was and how feared we were.
Europe shat themselves if they got us in the draw.
bob your a idiot you go away the things this guy and his family have done needs respect eg what about the hillsbourgh 96 donations and champions league god bless you benitez family
ReplyDeleteProblem with you is blind faith with kenny ..that he can't do anything wrong ...but he's human so makes mistakes just like anyone else ...including Rafa ..
ReplyDeleteI did never write hat I hate Rafa. In fact, I think Rafa is a top man and I like him as a person. I simply have a different opinion: thanks to Rafa for all the great achievements but I do believe that in a long term way He's not the right Manager ( I don't speak about the man) to win the title in EPL and meanwhile He's not the right manager for Liverpool Football Club.
ReplyDeleteI'm not an hater.
I was a fan of Rafa during Valencia's tenure and He did quite well in the first yrs at Liverpool, but in the last two yrs Rafa expanded his ego and made many many errors. Not the right manager in my view, but a top man.
I wish all the best for him, but when is over is over.
King Kenny for me is Liverpool.
Blind faith in Kenny? Does that mean I showed blind faith in Rafa when he came to the club?
ReplyDeleteWhen a new man is at the helm you show your full support. When Rafa joined the club I was excited but after 08/09 I just could not make excuses for Rafa anymore, defending him to the death was getting me nowhere.
Blind faith you say? Please do me a favour.
Losing semi finalists twice you say? Somewhere along the way you have clearly been miss informed.
ReplyDeleteRafa did some great things for us but he did what he could and the rest as they say is history.
Indeed. Benitez is to blame for everything that goes wrong at Liverpool *evil laugh*
ReplyDeleteThanks Andy. I'll try my best!
ReplyDeleteSpelt ; defence ! defense is yank !
ReplyDeleteThe owners are actually more interested in Europe,as are foreign players,FULL STOP!
ReplyDeletehes a mysterious man and why is every1 hating i think its fair to say we should all blame woy but benitez had the board to blame and prick parry
ReplyDeleteJust how is Benitez a disgrace?? He was touched by Liverpool FC and the City as if he was born here. The work he has done for Liverpool charities and not to mention the 96K he donated to the Hillsborough campaign means he should always be welcomed in the city. You are the disgrace for showing such little class you fu*kwit!!!
ReplyDelete