A well-known figure from Liverpool\u2019s recent past has returned to management \u2014 this time in Greece.<\/p>\n
Former Reds boss Rafa Benitez has officially been named the new head coach of Panathinaikos, as confirmed by The Athletic.<\/p>\n
The Spaniard, who famously led Liverpool to Champions League triumph in Istanbul in 2005, is back in the dugout just seven months after his last spell ended on a low note.<\/p>\n
Rafa Benitez appointed Panathinaikos head coach<\/p>\n
Benitez replaces Rui Vitoria, who was dismissed in September with Panathinaikos languishing in seventh place in the Super League Greece and struggling to find form in Europe. The Athens giants have collected nine points from six league matches and only three points from their opening three Europa League fixtures.<\/p>\n
For Benitez, this marks another chapter in a storied career that has taken him from Champions League and FA Cup success with Liverpool to managing powerhouses such as Real Madrid, Napoli, and Inter Milan.<\/p>\n
His previous position at Celta Vigo ended in disappointment after a 4\u20130 defeat to Real Madrid left the club hovering just above the relegation zone, prompting his dismissal.<\/p>\n
A complex Liverpool legacy<\/p>\n
While Benitez remains celebrated for his tactical brilliance and achievements at Anfield, his time there divides opinion among former players.<\/p>\n
On The Football Historian Podcast, ex-Reds academy graduates Lee Peltier and David Raven described their experiences under the Spaniard, calling him \u201cstandoffish\u201d and \u201ccold,\u201d though both suggested the language barrier played a role.<\/p>\n
Peltier recalled that Benitez \u201cwas very quiet and not really engaging,\u201d while Raven remembered being told to \u201cjust sign it and shut up\u201d during contract discussions.<\/p>\n
These anecdotes underline the perception of Benitez as a meticulous tactician but not necessarily a man-manager, a reputation that has followed him throughout his European journey.<\/p>\n
Still, there\u2019s no denying his pedigree. Having managed some of Europe\u2019s biggest clubs, Benitez now faces the challenge of reviving Panathinaikos\u2019 fortunes and returning them to former glory.<\/p>\n
Liverpool fans will forever link him with the magic of Istanbul, yet his career since leaving Anfield has taken many unexpected turns \u2014 including his controversial stint across Stanley Park at Everton.<\/p>\n
If he can recreate even a fraction of his past success, Athens might just witness another memorable Benitez resurgence.<\/p>\n
Watch: Rafa Benitez arrives in Athens via [@paofc_ on X]
\n\u201cTouchdown in Athens Rafa Ben\u00edtez is home \u2618\ufe0f #Panathinaikos #PAOFC\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A well-known figure from Liverpool\u2019s recent past has returned to management \u2014 this time in Greece. Former Reds boss Rafa Benitez has officially been named the new head coach of Panathinaikos, as confirmed by The Athletic. The Spaniard, who famously led Liverpool to Champions League triumph in Istanbul in 2005, is back in the dugout …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":52864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/EOTK-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-6-4.jpg.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52862"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52865,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52862\/revisions\/52865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}