Panathinaikos FC announces the beginning of its collaboration with one of the most successful football coaches in the world and the most prominent manager ever to join a Greek club — Rafa Benítez!

The countless titles he has won in his long career — including the Champions League, two UEFA Cup/Europa League titles, and a Club World Cup — as well as his overall career in football, clearly demonstrate the stature and magnitude of the Spanish coach.
Rafa Benítez takes up his duties at Trifylli (the Shamrock) immediately, together with his coaching staff.

Rafa Benítez was born on April 16, 1960, in Madrid, Spain. His coaching career began at a young age, just 26 years old, in the Real Madrid Academy. After spending nine years there, he decided in 1995 to try his luck as a head coach. He began with Real Valladolid, where he stayed for seven months. In the summer of 1996, he took charge of Osasuna for a short spell. In 1997, he moved to Extremadura, which he led to promotion to the Primera División. He stayed for two full seasons, and in 2000 he took over Tenerife, achieving promotion once again to Spain’s top division.

In 2001, the time came for a major leap in his career when he took charge of Valencia CF, succeeding Héctor Raúl Cúper. With the “Bats,” Benítez proved his managerial worth, leading the team to play highly attacking football and winning the La Liga title in 2002, ending a 31-year drought. The 2003–04 season was a dream, as Valencia won both the La Liga title (a feat not repeated since) and the UEFA Cup.

In the summer of 2004, he was hired by Liverpool, becoming the first Spanish manager in the Premier League. He made history with the English club when, in his first season (2004–05), Liverpool won the Champions League in the famous final against AC Milan, remembered for the miraculous comeback from 3–0 down at halftime (3–3 final and victory on penalties). He thus became the third coach ever to win European trophies in consecutive seasons.
The following year, Liverpool won the UEFA Super Cup and the FA Cup. In his third year, the Reds reached the Champions League final again, though they did not win it this time. Benítez remained at Liverpool for six full years.

In the summer of 2010, Benítez moved to Italy, taking over Inter Milan. Although he began ideally — winning both the FIFA Club World Cup and the Italian Super Cup — the league campaign was below expectations, and by the end of 2010 he left the club.

Two years later, in November 2012, he took charge of Chelsea, leading them to win the Europa League, his third European title.

In the summer of 2013, he returned to Italy to manage Napoli, where he stayed for two seasons, winning both the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup in 2014.

Twenty years after leaving Real Madrid, Benítez returned “home” in 2015 to take charge of the Spanish giants. Although Real Madrid qualified first in their Champions League group and remained title contenders in La Liga, in January 2016 the club decided to part ways with him.

Three months later, Benítez took over Newcastle United, who were in a tough relegation battle. Despite a strong finish, the “Magpies” were relegated. He remained in charge, however, and the following season he led Newcastle back to the Premier League as Championship winners. He spent three years with the English club.

In the summer of 2019, he moved to China, joining Dalian Professional, where he stayed for a year and a half. In the summer of 2021, he returned to his beloved England, this time to manage Everton, staying for six months.
His most recent team was Celta Vigo, where he spent nine months.

On an individual level, Benítez was named UEFA Coach of the Year twice (2004, 2005) and La Liga Coach of the Year once (2002).

We welcome Rafa Benítez to the Panathinaikos family!