Benitez takes on greatest challenge at Real

55-year-old becomes 10th man to take coaching job under president Perez

MADRID: Rafa Benitez was appointed Real Madrid coach on Wednesday, the much-travelled 55-year-old taking on one of the most demanding jobs in club football in which he will be expected to deliver major trophies in short order.

Spaniard Benitez quit Serie A side Napoli last week and returns to his boyhood club to succeed Italian Carlo Ancelotti, sacked after Real failed to either defend their Champions League crown or win the domestic league or Cup.

A former Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan and Chelsea manager, Benitez began coaching in Real’s youth academy in 1986 after injury ended his hopes of becoming a professional player.

He is the 10th coach to be appointed by president Florentino Perez during the construction magnate’s two six-year stints at the helm of the world’s richest club by income and appeared close to tears when he was presented to the media at the Bernabeu stadium.

“It’s an emotional day returning here to my home,” said Benitez. “I have a good technical team behind me and I hope things go well, that we win titles and the team plays well.”

Benitez, who has signed a three-year contract, told a news conference he was aware he would not be given time to bed in and that, given the quality of the squad, which he called the best he had managed, the team would have to be competitive from the start.

“When you have a roster with such quality you have to attack, to try to score goals and to win, if possible, by playing attractive football,” he told reporters.

Real would be monitoring the transfer market to see if there was room to strengthen the team, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2015.

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