Rafael Benitez constantly cleaning up Jose Mourinho's mess, says wife
Rafael Benitez is once again "tidying up" Jose Mourinho's "mess" at the Santiago Bernabeu, according to the Spaniard’s wife.
Benitez took charge at Madrid earlier this summer, the third time he has followed in Mourinho’s managerial footsteps following previous stints at Inter Milan and Chelsea.
The former Liverpool manager directly succeeded Mourinho at Inter in June 2010 after the Portuguese boss had led the Serie A club to an unprecedented treble the previous season.
Benitez took over at another of Mourinho’s former clubs, Chelsea, on an interim basis in November 2012 following the departure of Roberto Di Matteo.
And in an interview with La Region newspaper, Benitez’s wife joked that her husband has spent his whole career cleaning up after the 'Special One'.
"Real Madrid are the third of Jose Mourinho's old teams Rafa has coached," said Montserrat Seara.
"We tidy up his messes! If you think about it, of course you end up crossing paths. There are only a few world-class clubs out there."
Mrs Benitez also went on to say that her husband was obsessed with football.
"On our first date, Rafa explained to me what a 4-4-2 was. He finds it hard to stay away from the game," she added.
"The year we spent at home he helped coach the local school team. It was hilarious. He stood on the sidelines and shouted at them as if they were first division players, waving his arms about. He doesn't see football as work, it's his passion.
"It was hard to see each other over the winter in Napoli. There were no direct flights and it was complicated. Things will be much easier now in Madrid."