Product Description

On 25 May 2005, Liverpool FC won the Champions League Final in one of the most memorable and extraordinary nights of English football. Benitez surpassed his fantastic Spanish success with Liverpool FC. This authorised biography is a vivid and lively account of both his personal and professional life, from his early days up to his most recent successes. Author Paco Lloret has been a sports journalist for over 20 years. He first met Benitez in 1996 and has been in frequent contact since, giving him a privileged viewpoint of this extraordinary manager.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #236111 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

readthegame.com (November 2005)
A good portrayal of one of Europe's finest football managers and coaches……I would recommend this book.

About the Author
Author, Paco Lloret has been a sports journalist for over twenty years. Based in Valencia, he is Head of Sport at Canal Nou TV, where he presents a weekly sports programme. He first met Benitez in 1996, through a mutual friend, and has been in frequent contact since, giving him a privileged standpoint to explore the personality and achievements of the manager who led Liverpool to European glory in this year’s Champions League.

Customer Reviews

A good portrayal of one of Europe�s finest football coaches
This is an official biography by Spanish journalist and friend of Rafa Benitez, which was originally published in Spain last year. It's now been translated into English, and has been updated with a section detailing Benitez' incredible Champions League triumph.

The book itself is just over 220 pages, and is nicely packaged in what is sort of between a hard back and a soft back book, if that makes any sense!

It's an easy read, I read it in a day. And it's relaxed writing style, and the fact each section is split into small chapters, breaks up the book, making it one of those ideal books to read on trains and bus journeys to work, if, unlike me, you don't get the urge to read a book from cover to cover in a day!

The book itself, I would say, is 90% focused on football. So if anyone was hoping for a deep insight into Benitez the man as well as Benitez the manager, they will be disappointed. Lloret makes a point of stating early in the book what an intensely private man Rafa is when it comes to his family. And it seems this book has been written with the express instruction that no great deal is said about his private life.

This isn't to say that we don't see a little of the personality behind the manager. There are some endearing images portrayed of a studious child, and of a budding footballer, that had his promising career cut short by a serious injury. As well as the surprising fact that Benitez actually spent a year in medical college before deciding to make a go of his football on a professional level. But the main things that come across from these glimpses into Rafa's upbringing, childhood and young adulthood, is how hard working, intense and committed an individual he was then as he is now. This won't come as a surprise to any supporter of his current or former clubs. But the intensity of his commitment to his football and his coaching is proof if ever there was, of how hard work can bring success!

What this book makes obvious is that Benitez never had it easy, never had anything in football handed to him on a plate, and had to endure several deflating and dispiriting moments in his career both as a player and a coach. Everything he's achieved, he's plotted and planned for, and worked tirelessly for. It really is refreshing to read about such an individual in a football world that is being dominated more and more by rich, spoilt young men, who've not had to do a thing for themselves since they signed with their first clubs.

The main focus of this book is Valencia FC, and this is no surprise. Lloret as well as being a close friend of Benitez, is a Valencia fan. And as well as some of the more famous tales of discontent that emerged when Benitez joined Liverpool, this book gives us a far closer look at his time there, both the great times and the battles behind the scenes, and sometimes in front of the cameras. And this is one thing that may surprise British football followers, who see Benitez as such a mild mannered character. It becomes apparent that in Spain, he was more than prone to a few rages, and battles with other coaches as well as Valencia's directors. It really does give a fascinating insight into the mind of not only a meticulous and outstanding football coach, but also a tough and often stubborn man.

The last part of the book is devoted to Liverpool and especially the amazing Champions League run of which Benitez was the architect, which culminated in that fantastic final in Istanbul. And one of the most interesting parts of the book is the recollections of the days surrounding the game, from Benitez' perspective. It's an insight into how he plans and works for games, and of how he himself dealt with the pressure. Whereas this book on the whole doesn't delve too deeply into Rafa's persona away from football, there is a heartfelt section detailing the very personal reasons that made going back to Turkey such a poignant time for him. Unbeknown to most Liverpool fans, Rafa's brother in law had been killed in Turkey just 2 years before. And a year later, it was while in Turkey for a UEFA cup tie with Valencia, that Rafa heard of the devastating terrorist attacks in his home city of Madrid. Attacks which his nephews and nieces and been caught up in, and in which another brother in law was actually in one of the trains hit, but luckily not badly injured.

In conclusion - this book certainly isn't a biography in the obvious sense, as most of the book is devoted to football, but as explained earlier this is no surprise. And as it's an official biography and a book written by a friend of Benitez' it's fair to say that he's had some control over the content. But in the same way, as it's written by someone close to him, you do get the feel from the book that it's been written with a lot of affection and privileged knowledge, making it far more worthy of a read than any unofficial books written by journalists and writers without a true knowledge of the real Benitez.

All in all, this book is pretty light reading, but it is interesting. It's a good portrayal of one of Europe's finest football managers and coaches, and a man who combines his work with a dignity and class, so rarely seen in high profile managers over here.

I would recommend this book especially to fans of Valencia and Liverpool, as well as to fans of Spanish football in general, as it gives good insight into the obsessive world of football over there.

Rafa The Genius !!
An amazing insight to what makes the great man what he is today, a true great. From his early days with Madrid, to management in the lower leagues of La Liga. Rafa served his apprenticeship in Spain and Liverpool poached him at just the right time.A must for all fans who will never forget that night on May 25th 2005.

One of the better LFC books
Think this is definitely one of the better books on LFC. Having said that, much of it is about Benitez's time in Spain, but it helps put into context his methods and approach to the game. The book does deal with Benitez's early days at Liverpool and does give insight into how he works. Recommended.