Benitez handed Mariga full Champions league game, but is still jobless

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Former Liverpool Coach Rafael Rafa Benitez Maudes, 51 is still out of a coaching role since leaving Italian Serie 'A' side Internazionale in late December 2010.

Benitez joined Inter to take over from Jose Mourinho who crossed over to Spanish giants Real Madrid. Prior to arriving at Inter,  Benitez had spent six seasons with English Premier League side Liverpool.

But Rafa only saw months of his two year contract after rife speculation of his departure finally came true on Thursday December 2010 when he agreed to leave the club. Mixed results and a spat with Inter President Massimo Moratti were fronted as his reason for leaving.

full 90 minutes UEFA Champions league game

In his six months, Benitez lost the European Super Cup to Atletico Madrid [0-2] but won the Italian Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup against DR Congo’s TP Mazembe in December.

By the time of his departure, Inter who were five-in-a-row league Champions before he arrived, trailed rivals AC Milan by a massive 13 points.

Benitez became the second coach for Kenyan midfielder McDonald Mariga at Inter – after Jose Mourinho and is credited as the only coach to hand the Harambee Stars dependable his first and only full 90 minutes UEFA Champions league game on September 14, 2010 when Inter played Dutch side FC Twente at the De Grolsch Veste in Holland. Prior to that game, Mariga had played two other games as a substitute.  

UEFA Champions League Manager of the Year

The former junior Real Madrid, Valladolid FC, Osasuna FC Extre Extremadura, Tenerife, and Valencia Coach where he won the Primera Liga in 2001 and 2004 joined Liverpool in 2004 and won the UEFA Champions League at the close of the 2004/5 season after beating AC Milan in a penalty shoot.