Rafael Benitez appointed Real Madrid coach: 5 things to watch out for

Been There Before

As briefly mentioned above, Benitez has already spent some time with Real Madrid albeit their youth squad and Castilla sides. Still, after working through the Real Madrid aficionados as a midfielder, Rafa eventually returned to Madrid as a youth coach. After coaching Castilla B, he was appointed coach of the U19s where he won the U19 Cups in 1991 and 1993. Success there led to further opportunities, and in 1994 he took over as the coach of Real Madrid B.

Despite his time being years removed from present day, it’s clear that Rafa has shown what he can do during his tenure in various positions within that system. Madrid fans will point to his recent tenures for direct examples, as they should, but it’s worth at least mentioning that he has proven himself there at least once and will now be given the opportunity to do so again but at the highest level.

Next: An eye for talent