Rafa Benitez will be in a neutral corner for the Carabao Cup final between Newcastle United and Liverpool on Sunday.
The Spaniard spent several years at both teams between the 2000s and 2010s, the biggest successes of his career came on Merseyside, winning the Champions League in 2005.
However, Newcastle United fans still appreciate Rafa Benitez for his three years at the club. The 64-year-old stayed on Tyneside when they were relegated in 2016 and guided them back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking. What followed were two seasons where the Magpies finished comfortably mid-table following late resurgences in the latter stages of the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons.
Benitez is still well-liked at both clubs thanks to his successful spells. He also looks back at his time at them with fond memories.
Newcastle can qualify for the Champions League, according to Benitez who has been full of praise for the Magpies over the last couple of years since the arrival of Eddie Howe.
Fans can also thank Benitez for his efforts trying to get the takeover through while he was manager, it didn’t work out for him but it has since been successful.
With the Carabao Cup final fast approaching, Benitez has finally claimed who truly ‘deserves’ to lift the trophy on Sunday.
Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images
Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images
Rafa Benitez’s Carabao Cup final stance
While it’s clear that Benitez will not be solely supporting one team, he has still teased about who he’d like to see lift the trophy.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
Benitez said Newcastle fans are desperate for a trophy when he was asked who he thinks will win, but didn’t go as far to predict who would lift the trophy.
Now, in an interview with the Chronicle, Benitez has claimed who deserves to win the Carabao Cup – it’s good news for Newcastle fans.
“It’s been so many years. It’s been a sleeping giant,” he said.
“It was a pity that they could not be at the level that the fans deserved, but now they are there so I’m really pleased for them, for sure.
“In modern football, when you have some money and you can invest, you can improve. You have to compete with clubs with a lot of money and if you can’t get the best players, it’s very difficult to have a chance to win a trophy.
“But Newcastle United have improved a lot in terms of ownership, investment and staff in the last few years so everyone is doing a good job and the fans are delighted. I think they deserve to win but I cannot say, ‘They must do it!’ because then the Liverpool fans will be like, ‘Oh, Rafa!’ So I’m happy to see both teams there.”
Rafa Benitez nearly stayed at Newcastle in 2019
The fanbase was devastated when Benitez left Newcastle in 2019. It was an even bigger blow when Mike Ashley replaced him with Steve Bruce in what must be one of the biggest downgrades in football history.
However, things could’ve been different had the timeline been accelerated by a couple of years. Amanda Staveley broked a deal to buy Newcastle in 2021 but had been trying to buy the club since 2017.
Benitez was waiting for Ashley to sell in 2019 but admitted it was just too long to wait and decided to move on.
Speaking in the same Chronicle interview, Benitez said: “I was very close to staying. But, with the situation when I was leaving, Mike Ashley was not selling at this time and we could not wait.
“It was not a proper project at this time because there was not any intention to invest, to improve things, so we had to do it.
“The timing was a pity, but it was what it was. I couldn’t wait because it was very clear he had no intention to invest and to improve so we couldn’t be waiting and waiting.”