Real Madrid will present Rafa Benitez as the club’s new Coach at an event held this afternoon at Santiago Bernebau after confirming his appointment.
A statement on the club’s official website makes official the hiring of the ex-Valencia, Liverpool, Inter and Chelsea boss, who was most recently in charge of Napoli.
Reports from the Spanish Press say Benitez has for the past two days been working at the club’s training facility, Valdebebas, planning the pre-season programme and meeting with influential figures at the club.
Benitez has already sat down with Zinedine Zidane to discuss the state of the cantera, as well as Emilio Butragueno, Chendo and a number of others.
Alvaro Arbeloa was also reunited with his old Liverpool boss as he was training prior to the start of his holiday, Marca note.
Benitez, it was said, had already signed his contract and will be unveiled at the Bernabeu prior to a Press conference. The event will take place at 1pm local time and he will become the 10th Coach of Florentino Perez’s two spells as President.
AS add that Benitez also had offers from Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Manchester City but chose to replace Carlo Ancelotti.
He will be joined in Madrid by his family – wife and two daughters – having lived apart from them for the two years he spent in Italy with Napoli, after his wife declined to move to Italy as she didn’t like Naples.
AS claim Benitez has been at Valdebebas for two full days, eating and sleeping there, as he works round the clock to prepare his Madrid side for the coming season.
He has agreed a three-year contract worth €4m a year, and AS say that as recently as three weeks ago there had been no contract from Madrid, but when the proposal came it was quickly accepted and completed.
