Former Liverpool and Everton boss Benitez will be confirmed as Cetla Vigo manager on Monday.
Rafa Benitez is set to be confirmed as the new head coach of Celta Vigo as the former Liverpool and Everton boss returns to management.
Benitez has signed a three-year deal with Celta and will formally be announced by the La Liga side on Monday.
The Spaniard managed Liverpool for six years between 2004 and 2010 and won the FA Cup in 2006 a year after helping the club win their fifth European Cup by beating AC Milan on penalties at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.
Benitez came within a whisker of winning the Premier League title in 2009 only to be pipped by Manchester United before he left Liverpool in the summer of 2010 at the height of the unhappy reign of detested former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
After spells with Inter, Chelsea and Napoli, Benitez joined Real Madrid in 2015 before moving back to England to take over as Newcastle boss the following year. A two-year stint with Dalian Professional in China was next up before the former Reds boss took the controversial decision to move to Everton.
Benitez’s ill-fated spell across Stanley Park lasted less than seven months and included a 4-1 defeat by Jurgen Klopp’s Reds at Goodison Park in December 2021. He was replaced by Frank Lampard
Celta, who are entering their centenary season, have been keen to hire a high-profile manager to tie in with the celebrations of their 100th-year following the departure of former Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal, who left the club last month after keeping them up on the final day of the La Liga season with a 2-1 win over Barcelona.
The move to Celta will be Benitez’s first foray back into coaching since he was relieved of his duties at Everton in January 2022 after winning just one his final 13 games with the Blues.
The shock appointment of Benitez at Goodison Park two years ago saw him become the first man since Edward William Barclay in the 1890s to take charge of both Liverpool and Everton.
During that lengthy career, Benitez won two La Liga titles and the UEFA Cup with Valencia before building on that success with Liverpool where he lifted the UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield alongside the Champions League and FA Cup
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