In a recent interview, former Liverpool meritorious coach Rafael Benitez looked back fondly on his time in charge of Celta Vigo Football Club. Although the experience did not end as successfully as he initially envisioned, Benitez still has mixed emotions about those days.
At first, FC Celta threw down the gauntlet to Benítez, promising a series of ambitious projects around him and offering him a three-year contract. Despite the fact that it meant he would be away from his family and especially his wife, a local from Ourense, Galicia, Rafael Benítez was attracted by the offer, which offered both challenge and opportunity. He believes that with his coaching experience and the hard work of his team, he will be able to lead Celta's gradual rise to the top, and even hit Europe in the next two to three years, realizing his footballing dream before returning to England.
However, the reality is far more bone-chilling than the ideal. In Spain, the strict financial fair play rules have become a huge obstacle in Celta's way. In the face of rivals like Real Madrid, who are so rich and powerful, Celta appeared to be unable to cope with the situation. Despite Rafa Benitez and his team's great efforts, it was an almost impossible task to compete with the giants with a limited budget. He confessed that he had high hopes for more support and resources from the club's senior management, but eventually realized that there was a huge gap between the promise and the reality.
What is more regrettable for Benitez is that some of his forward-looking suggestions and reform programs have not been adopted and implemented in a timely manner. Nowadays, he can't help but feel emotional when he sees the player purges and lineup adjustments that Celta is undergoing. These initiatives are exactly what he advocated in the first place, only now they are being implemented by another coach, Hiraldez. Rafa Benitez says that this is both a testament to his past efforts and also makes him feel a tinge of regret for not being able to lead Celta through these changes himself.
