The wife of Rafael Benitez has claimed that her husband, the current Real Madrid coach, has constantly found himself cleaning up the messes of rival, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
Speaking to La Region [as per the Daily Star], Montserrat Seara Benitez has claimed that her man has repeatedly been employed as a fire-fighter for problems generated by the Portuguese manager.
“We tidy up his messes,” she began.
“If you think about it, of course you end up crossing paths. There are only a few world-class clubs out there.”
There are three clubs which both men have managed, with Benitez arriving as either a direct or indirect replacement for Mourinho on each occasion.
The Spaniard took over at Inter Milan following the Portuguese manager’s Champions League triumph with the Nerazzurri, while he also took over as Chelsea boss following the dismissal of Roberto Di Matteo.
The ex-Liverpool coach—who enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Mourinho during his time in the Premier League—is currently in situ at Real Madrid. While Rafa didn’t directly replace the current Stamford Bridge chief, he arrived as a substitute for Carlo Ancelotti, who took over from Mourinho in 2013.
While the Italian boss won La Decima—Real’s tenth Champions League title—with victory over rivals Atletico Madrid, he was dispatched after a disappointing 2014-15 campaign.
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It remains to be seen whether Benitez can top Mourinho’s sole Liga BBVA triumph at the Bernabeu, there is little truth in his wife’s suggestion that the Spaniard has cleaned up the ‘messes’ of Mourinho.
Indeed, at both Chelsea and Inter, the former FC Porto boss enjoyed considerably more success than Benitez achieved.