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It's official. After a week of multiple reports saying that this was a done deal, Real Madrid have officially announced via statement that Rafael Benítez is their new coach, signing a three-year deal.
He wasn't the most popular candidate and many fans wanted to sign Klopp instead, but CEO José Ángel Sánchez trusts Benítez's work ethic, convinced Florentino Pérez and ultimately gave Benítez a chance to prove everybody wrong.
The Spanish coach has a good resumé although his biggest successes came years ago, when he coached Valencia first (2 Liga titles and one UEFA Europe League) and Liverpool (1 Champions League and 1 FA Cup). He then signed for Inter Milan, where he won the Italian Supercup before being fired in December. With Napoli, Benítez conquered the 2014 Italian Cup title and the 2014 Italian Supercup against Juventus as well.
Benítez will likely try to turn Real Madrid into a solid team, and he is reportedly interested in signing Raheem Sterling away from Liverpool.