Rafa Benitez had just masterminded Liverpool’s victorious comeback in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul when word reached him that some of his friends were stuck outside the post-match party.
The Spaniard left to sort the problem and was about to return when a security guard intervened.
‘He said to me, “You cannot go in, it’s a private party”,’ reflects Benitez, winner of Europe’s premier prize in his first season after a penalty shootout against A.C. Milan.
Rafa Benitez masterminded Liverpool’s comeback in the 2005 Champions League final win
‘A friend of mine stepped in and said, “Listen, do you know this man?”. The security guard shrugged. He asked again, “Do you know who this man is? He is God. He is God”.’
Benitez has enjoyed heavenly worship ever since on Merseyside, where he still lives with his wife and two teenage daughters.
And that is his message to Reds boss Jurgen Klopp ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final against another of his former clubs, Real Madrid – win, and your life will change forever.
Benitez believes defeating Real Madrid will change Jurgen Klopp’s life in Liverpool forever
‘People say, “Oh, you are a good manager, but you have to win to be a great manager”,’ says Benitez.
‘And we did. We did it in Spain with Valencia, the UEFA Cup was massive, but then in England, with the Champions League, it changed everything. So Klopp is an idol now, but he will be even more so if he wins. It will change his life in Liverpool.
‘Although, at the time, you do not realise what it means. It is only later when you go back to the city and see the fans. And I remember the open-top bus parade, I was concerned – we were going so fast and you could see the trees coming towards us, the players were like, “Woah!” and ducking out of the way. We had to say, “Listen, calm down”. But they are special memories.’
On the subject of transport, Benitez reveals he is never far away from supporter adulation.
Benitez reveals he is never far away from supporter adulation because of that historic night
‘You find Liverpool fans everywhere and they always want to talk about Istanbul,’ says the Newcastle boss.
‘When I come here from Liverpool on the train, you have Liverpool fans at one end talking about Istanbul and come the other end it’s Newcastle fans.
‘When I used to pick my daughters up from school, the other kids on the double-decker bus would be banging on the windows and singing Rafa songs.
‘They did not really realise at the time and their friends would say, “Your dad is a celebrity”. But little by little they began to learn.’
Liverpool trailed 3-0 at half-time but produced a sensational comeback to lift the trophy
Benitez often jokes about struggling to understand his girls’ Scouse accents. But, on that night at the Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, his broken English was his biggest concern.
Milan captain Paolo Maldini scored in the first minute and Hernan Crespo added two more before the break, the third coming on the stroke of half-time.
Benitez recalls: ‘When we conceded the second goal, I was thinking what I had to say, I was making my notes. And then we conceded a third…
‘I had to give a speech in English. My English now is terrible but then, 13 years ago, it was not so good. I was thinking about what I would say to motivate players, because it’s not the same as saying something in Spanish. So all I said was, “If we score a goal we are back in the game, nothing to lose”.
‘I also told my assistant to be sure Did Hamann was ready because we will play with three at the back, that was so important. Hamman (who replaced Steve Finnan) had experience, he controlled the middle and gave freedom to (Steven) Gerrard to go forward.’
Benitez admits Milan were the best team in Europe then but disagrees his Reds side were lucky
And so skipper Gerrard began the most remarkable comeback in the history of European Cup finals when he headed Liverpool’s first on 54 minutes. By the hour they were level, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso the scorers. In the shootout, goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek made the winning save to deny Andriy Shevchenko.
‘Istanbul will always be the most emotional final ever because of the way we came back,’ says Benitez.
‘Everything was going wrong, massively wrong. Then, just after half-time, you see the Liverpool fans singing even though we were 3-0 down – that was massive.
‘People say we were lucky in the final, but we were not lucky in the earlier rounds when we beat Chelsea, Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen.
‘As for the penalties… no, we weren’t lucky. Four or five of them we knew where they would put it, we had done a lot of work on that.
‘We deserved to win. Milan, player by player, they were the best team in Europe – miles away. But, on the night, we were better than them.’
Two years later in Athens, however, Milan were the better side and exacted their revenge with a 2-1 victory. Benitez has uneasy memories of that final.
Two years later in Athens, however, Milan were the better side and exacted their revenge
Benitez has uneasy memories of that final because of an accommodation error and the heat
‘We prepared everything and our team was better than in 2005,’ he says. ‘We knew Athens would be hot so we went to Murcia to replicate the same conditions.
‘But it was hotter than we thought and half-time was a disaster because they were all wanting ice-jackets and towels. Everyone was so worried about the heat but I said, “Concentrate! We have to talk about tactics and positions”. But there was too much sports science.’
Such complications were enough to give Benitez sleepless nights in the wake of the loss, not that he had much choice on the evening of the game.
‘We didn’t have enough rooms because all of the hotels were booked,’ he explains. ‘So I had to leave my wife with the chief scout’s wife in my room and the two of us were walking around until 7am.’
What were they talking about? ‘New players!’ laughs Benitez.
The 58-year-old did not last long enough in Madrid to enjoy European finals and he was sacked in January of his first season in 2016. Zinedine Zidane took over and Benitez’s side went on to win the Champions League, defending their crown 12 months later. In Kiev this weekend they will be bidding for an historic third straight title.
Benitez thinks Liverpool’s trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane will be key
Benitez refuses to give a prediction and says he will wear a neutral grey when watching the game, but you get the impression he fancies Liverpool.
‘They talk about the miracle of Istanbul, but this team is better,’ he states.
‘We had Stevie, of course, and some players with experience and quality, like Alonso and Hamann, and we had a good balance.
‘This team also has that but the three players up front, they can make a difference on their own. We had one player (Gerrard) who could do that – they have three.’
Liverpool’s energy coupled with the threat of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane will be key in deciding the contest, argues Benitez.
The Spaniard believes Liverpool’s intensity, quality, passion and desire can see them through
‘The difference between the Premier League and others is the intensity,’ he says. ‘And Liverpool is the best at that. Their offensive players, the strength of their defence and their midfielders, they can hurt you.
‘On the other side, Real Madrid have experience and they will manage the situation well, but Liverpool can do it. They have the intensity and the quality, the passion, the desire.
‘But sometimes it’s just one mistake and you pay. It’s often how you manage this pressure. Real Madrid have been managing it for a long time and Liverpool are in a new situation.
‘But it’s a final… anything can happen, I know that!’