Rafa Benitez joined Real Madrid to tidy up Jose Mourinho's mess, according to Spanish manager's wife

The two managers have both enjoyed extensive success throughout Europe

Samuel Lovett
Wednesday 29 July 2015 11:39 BST
Comments
Benitez and Mourinho
Benitez and Mourinho

Rafa Benitez has joined Real Madrid to tidy up another of Jose Mourinho’s messes, according to Montserrat Seara – Benitez's wife.

The ex-Liverpool boss has succeeded Mourinho at three different clubs after following the Portuguese manager to Inter Milan, Chelsea and now Real Madrid.

Seara joked that Benitez would continue to coach the same teams as Mourinho.

She told La Region: "We tidy up his messes…If you think about it, of course you end up crossing paths. There are only a few world-class clubs out there."

She went on to detail her husband’s passion for the game which remains unwavering.

Benitez has come under pressure for his allegedly strained relationship with Ronaldo

"On our first date, Rafa explained to me what a 4-4-2 was. He finds it hard to stay away from the game," she said. "The year we spent at home he helped coach the local school team. It was hilarious.”

“He stood on the sidelines and shouted at them as if they were first division players, waving his arms about. He doesn't see football as work, it's his passion.

"It was hard to see each other over the winter in Napoli. There were no direct flights and it was complicated. Things will be much easier now in Madrid."

The Spanish lawyer also touched upon the Spaniard’s tactics at Liverpool which attracted some criticism from fans despite the fact he managed the side to victory at the 2005 UEFA Champions League final.

"Even I don't know them," she said of his tactics. "Sometimes I ask him, who's going to play? He says he doesn't know yet. They criticised him at Liverpool for constantly tweaking his starting XI. I thought his two best friends in England were going to kill him."

Like Mourinho, Benitez has enjoyed extensive success throughout Europe and has won 14 trophies during his career as a manager in England, Spain and Italy.

Seara believes Benitez will continue in his search for more European trophies.

"I don't know if he'll ever retire," she added. "All being well, he has 20 years of football left."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in