Rafael Benitez has revealed Steven Gerrard is the best player he coached.
The veteran football manager has been in charge of a number of European giants during his career, including Liverpool, Real Madrid and Chelsea.
Managing a top club comes with handling the sport’s top talent, and for the Spaniard, that included household names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard and Gerrard.
Benitez joined ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville’s The Overlap to discuss his management career, and he admitted it was the former Liverpool captain that stood out above all the stars he’s managed.
When asked by Neville whether he didn’t trust Gerrard in a two in midfield in his Liverpool teams, Benitez said: “It’s not about trust.
“Stevie is the best player that I have ever coached.”
Appearing to reference Ronaldo, Benitez smiled: “Because when I was in Madrid I couldn’t say that!
“But now I can say that. It’s very clear.
“He had everything.”
And despite playing him on the right rather than in his usual midfield role, Benitez had high praise for the Liverpool legend.
“What was missing was the tactical knowledge a foreign player has because they play in this position,” Benitez added.
“He was so good, he had so much energy that he could get into the box, go as a full-back, do whatever he wanted to do, but he needed to understand the position.”
Benitez was in charge at Anfield from 2004 to 2010, winning the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup in 2006.
And Gerrard was a key cog in those trophy-winning teams.
Benitez then moved on to Inter Milan, Chelsea, Napoli, Real Madrid – where he managed Ronaldo – Newcastle, Dalian, Everton and most recently, Celta Vigo.
He was sacked in March, with his last game in charge being a 4–0 defeat to Real Madrid.
News Summary:
- ‘Now I can say it’ – I coached Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Lampard but nobody was better than Steven Gerrard
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