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Topics: Rafael Benitez, Football, Premier League, Liverpool, Everton, Rafa Benitez
Luke Davies
Topics: Rafael Benitez, Football, Premier League, Liverpool, Everton, Rafa Benitez
Former Premier League manager Rafael Benitez is reportedly closing in on a move to become the head coach of a European club.
Benitez, 65, has enjoyed a long managerial career with his first coaching role coming in 1986 when he took charge of Real Madrid Under 17s.
Since then, he has managed several top European clubs – including Valencia, Napoli, Inter Milan and Real Madrid – as well as making a name for himself in the Premier League with Liverpool between 2004 and 2010.
The Spaniard guided the Reds to a historic Champions League triumph against AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005 before watching them lift the FA Cup against West Ham United the following year.
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The 65-year-old later managed Chelsea on an interim basis during the 2012/23 campaign, and despite failing to endear himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful, Benitez still guided the west London club to Europa League glory.
In 2016, the Spaniard joined Newcastle and built a rapport with the Magpies faithful over three years, but the same can’t be said for his stint at Liverpool’s arch-rivals Everton during the 2021-22 campaign.
Some Liverpool fans even teased that Benitez had joined the Toffees as an undercover agent with the aim of relegating them.
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And despite enduring a torrid seven months at Everton, Benitez’s appetite for coaching remained as he joined La Liga side Celta Vigo in 2023 but he lasted just eight months.
Since then, he has been without a managerial role but stressed his desire to return to coaching “particularly in England” when he spoke to The Telegraph in September.
He claimed: "I do not want people to think I am finished. I am still evolving.
"It is bad for a coach to be seen as retired. People still ask me, ‘Do you want to coach?’ For sure, I do, particularly in England and Europe.”
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And it appears that Benitez may be getting his wish with reports from Greece suggesting he is close to joining Panathinaikos.
According to SPORT24, the ex-Liverpool boss is close to an agreement with the Athens-based club and is set to sign a two-and-a-half-year keeping him in Greece until the summer of 2028.
The report also claims that his contract will be worth £4.35million per year. Panathinaikos have won the Super League Greece 20 times, the second most of any club, behind reigning champions Olympiacos on 48.
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However, Panathinaikos have not won the Greek top-flight since 2010.