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<mask>,  (; February 21, 1935 – January 10, 2009) was a Canadian politician who served as the 37th mayor of Quebec City, Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office, and chairman of Via Rail. He was a leading organizer of the Liberal Party of Canada. Early career
Born in Chicoutimi, Quebec, the son of Burroughs and Marie (Desautels<mask>, <mask> was educated at the College des Jesuits in Quebec City and the Séminaire de Trois-Rivières. He studied social sciences at Laval University before working as a journalist with CFCM-TV in Quebec City in 1957. From 1958 to 1958, he was a correspondent with Télévision de Radio-Canada. In 1959, he was the press secretary for the Premier of Quebec, Paul Sauvé. From 1960 to 1962, he was the executive secretary for the Commission des Monuments Historiques de la Province de Québec, a society for the listing and preserving all buildings of historical interest in the province of Quebec.From 1963 to 1964, he was a Technical Advisor to the Secretary of the Province of Quebec. Moving into the private sector, he was a broker for Levesque & Beaubien from 1964 to 1970. From 1970 to 1973, he was a Vice President for Dumont Express. From 1973 to 1977, he was vice-president of Action Sociale Ltée. Political career
<mask> began his political career with the Union Nationale party, a conservative and nationalist party identifying with Quebec autonomism. He won a seat as a municipal councillor in Quebec City on December 1976. He was elected mayor in 1977, serving for twelve years and two more elections.During his tenure as mayor, from 1977–1989, he improved rail service into the city, was instrumental in reviving the Lower Town and in having it designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While mayor, <mask> also became friends with Paris mayor Jacques Chirac. The two worked closely together as part of the Association of Francophone Mayors (1979–89), where <mask> served as vice president. He successfully persuaded Chirac to keep quiet during the 1980 Quebec referendum, though Chirac personally supported an independent Quebec like General Charles de Gaulle. With the demise of the Union Nationale, he joined the Liberal Party of Canada. Chief of Staff to <mask>
<mask> was a longtime close ally and friend of <mask>. They knew each other for years, having first met at boarding school while still youths.They attended law school at Laval University together and earned similar reputations as being aggressive. When Chrétien won the leadership in 1990, he was largely unpopular in Quebec, rocked by caucus defects, and indecisive in responding to the Oka standoff. The federal Liberals were disorganized, near bankruptcy, and dropped in the polls from 50 to 32 per cent. In order to reinvigorate his leadership and reorganized his chaotic office, Chrétien hired <mask> as his chief of staff, while Eddie Goldenberg continued as senior political adviser. <mask> ran unsuccessfully in a Quebec City riding during the 1993 election, which saw the party capture few seats in the province of Quebec outside of their federalist stronghold of Montreal. That campaign saw Chrétien become Prime Minister, and <mask> became his Chief of Staff, making him head of the Prime Minister's Office. Chrétien praised <mask> as Chief of Staff, saying "He ran a very tight–and tight-lipped–ship.... As a result, we didn't suffer from the public feuding, backbiting gossip, and anonymous leaks that had plagued other PMOs.Even those columnists and academics who were no fans of the Liberal Party had to concede that Pelletier's operation was among the most efficient and harmonious in memory, despite having been reduced from 120 to 80 employees as a cost-saving measure." Jeffrey Simpson, a columnist for The Globe and Mail, noted that "<mask> stayed away from the media. He seldom met with journalists, and when he did, he gave almost nothing away. He was courteous, refined, sometimes witty and usually non-informative." Pelletier persuaded two designates for Governor General, Roméo LeBlanc and Adrienne Clarkson, to marry their long-time partners, so they could be appointed as Canada's head of state. <mask> remained close friends with Jacques Chirac, who became President of France in 1994. <mask> played an instrumental role in Chrétien and Chirac becoming close friends despite their initial disagreements.Chrétien had initially dismissed Chirac as a "right-wing Gaullist" and had been publicly furious when Chirac announced on Larry King Live that France would be one of the first countries to recognize an independent Quebec. Years later, when Paul Martin became prime minister and dismissed <mask> (see below), Chirac criticized Martin for his treatment of <mask>. Sponsorship Scandal and Via Rail Controversy
On May 4, 2001, Chrétien appointed <mask> chairman of Via Rail, a Crown corporation. Soon after, Chrétien promised an extra C$700 million to improve Via's service. On March 1, 2004, Pelletier and Via President Marc LeFrançois were fired by Prime Minister Paul Martin and Transport Minister Tony Valeri. Their dismissals were shortly after the Liberal Party became embroiled in the sponsorship scandal. <mask> was one of four Chrétien loyalists sacked from jobs at Crown corporations by Martin's government during the sponsorship scandal.Via was accused of skipping mandated procedures in order to hand out contracts to Liberal-friendly firms and individuals. <mask>, however, was not at Via for most of these occurrences, and the Martin government was accused of using an incident as an excuse to remove one of Chrétien's allies. Eddie Goldenberg said that Pelletier "was very hurt about being fired for saying something about Myriam Bédard without being asked for his side. The whole purpose [of firing him] had nothing to do with Ms. Bédard and everything to do with the fact that Mr. Martin didn't like him because he had worked for Mr. Chrétien". Paul Martin maintained that Pelletier was fired for remarks that he made to Montreal's La Presse newspaper attacking Olympic athlete Myriam Bédard. Talking about Bédard, who had held a marketing position at Via and had gone to the media with stories of corruption, <mask> said "I don't want to be mean, but this is a poor girl who deserves pity, who doesn't have a spouse, as far as I know." He later reiterated that "She is struggling as a single mother with economic responsibilities.Deep down, I think she is pitiful." This caused an immediate media fracas and the remarks were widely condemned as sexist and out-of-touch by women's groups, sports groups and others. On March 30, 2004, <mask> sued Via and the federal government for C$3 million, for defamation and illegal dismissal. A federal court ruled that dismissal did not follow due process and ordered him reinstated in November 2005. Although he was reinstated, the government appealed the court ruling and kept him off the payroll. On December 22, 2005, he was fired a second time, this time after the government ensured that due process was followed. <mask> filed suit in Quebec Superior Court alleging wrongful dismissal; Transport Minister <mask>rre issued a written statement noting that the recent dismissal is effective immediately and that <mask> would not receive compensation due to his suit against the government.After the 2006 federal election, Reg Alcock, the outgoing President of the Treasury Board, did approve $40,000 to assist <mask> with legal fees in a court challenge against the Gomery Commission. Representatives of other parties criticized this payment, saying that the government should only cover legal costs for working civil servants. <mask>'s lawyer argued that it followed a long-standing government policy for high-ranking functionaries in judicial proceedings. A Federal Court justice ruled in March 2007 that the Martin government acted improperly in 2005 when it fired <mask> a second time, immediately after a court overturned his first dismissal as head of Via Rail. Justice Francois Lemieux ruled that then-Transport Minister <mask>, who fired <mask> the second time, was biased and failed to follow proper procedures. On November 22, 2007, Judge Hélène Langlois of Quebec Superior Court ruled that government of Prime Minister Paul Martin had acted in a "cavalier and precipitous" fashion when it fired Pelletier. Langloise stated, "that behaviour doesn't meet the standard of diligence expected from a contractor when a contractual relationship is ended.It shows a total lack of consideration". Langlois also mentioned that people refused to walk on the same side of the street as <mask> while others called him names in public. <mask> was awarded $235,000 in lost income, and a further $100,000 for damaging his reputation. He had sued for $689,000 in financial losses and $3.3 million for moral damages. On June 26, 2008, federal judge Max Teitelbaum criticized John Gomery for having a preoccupation with the media spotlight that led him to give interviews he should have eschewed, making comments that indicated he judged issues before all evidence was heard, exhibited bias against Mr. Chrétien, and trivialized the inquiry proceedings. For instance, Teitelbaum pointed out that Gomery's remark halfway through the hearings that "juicy stuff" was yet to come made it appear that evidence of wrongdoing was expected before it was heard. The court threw out the Gomery inquiry's conclusions that Chrétien and <mask> bore responsibility for the sponsorship scandal.<mask> died in Quebec City on January 10, 2009 from complications of colon cancer, aged 73. He was survived by his wife, Hélène, and two children, <mask> and Marie. Marie and her husband Andrew Stegen have two children named Alix, and Mathew. Honours
In 1985, <mask> was made a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition for having "played a pivotal role in many social, cultural and philanthropic organizations in the Old Capital". He was promoted to Officer in 2003 in recognition for having "dedicated his life to public service". In 1990, he was made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec. References

1935 births
2009 deaths
20th-century Canadian businesspeople
Mayors of Quebec City
Canadian people in rail transport
Via Rail people
Officers of the Order of Canada
Officers of the National Order of Quebec
Politicians from Saguenay, Quebec
Deaths from colorectal cancer
Deaths from cancer in Quebec
Chiefs of staff of the Canadian Prime Minister's Office
Corruption in Canada

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<mask> (born November 29, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). <mask> initially played college football and baseball at NC State from 2008 to 2010 before transferring to Wisconsin in 2011, in which he set the single-season FBS record for passing efficiency (191.8) and led them to a Big Ten title and the 2012 Rose Bowl. He also played minor league baseball for the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2010 and the Asheville Tourists in 2011 as a second baseman, and as of 2019 his professional baseball rights are held by the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. He was selected by the Seahawks in the third round (75th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. After beating out Matt Flynn for the starting job during training camp, <mask> ended up having a successful debut season, tying Peyton Manning's then-record for most passing touchdowns by a rookie (26) and was named Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. <mask> has been named to nine Pro Bowls and has started in two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos. He holds the record for most wins by an NFL quarterback through nine seasons (98) and is one of four quarterbacks in NFL history with a career passer rating over 100.In April 2019, <mask> signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Seahawks, making him the highest paid player in the NFL at the time. In 2020, he became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for thirty touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. <mask> is widely regarded as one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history. <mask> is part owner of the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer (MLS). After he purchased his minority stake, the Sounders won the 2019 MLS Cup. Early life and background
<mask> was born at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. His parents are Harrison Benjamin <mask>, a lawyer, and <mask> (née Turner), a nurse director.He has an older brother, Harrison IV, and a younger sister, Anna. <mask> started playing football with his father and brother at the age of four, and played his first organized game for the Tuckahoe Tomahawks youth football team in sixth grade. <mask>'s great-great-grandfather was a slave to a Confederate colonel and was freed after the American Civil War. <mask>'s paternal grandfather, Harrison B<mask> Jr., was a former president of Norfolk State University who played football and basketball at Kentucky State University, and his paternal grandmother, Anna W<mask>, was on the faculty at Jackson State University. <mask>'s maternal grandfather was noted painter A. B. Jackson. According to genetic admixture analysis, <mask> is 62% African, 36% European, 1% West Asian, and 1% Central Asian.His European family lineage has been traced back to 524 A.D. to Saint Arnulf of Metz via Charlemagne. <mask>'s father played football and baseball at Dartmouth and was a wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers preseason squad in 1980. <mask>'s brother, Harry, played football and baseball at the University of Richmond, and his sister Anna plays basketball for Stanford. <mask>'s father died on June 9, 2010, at age 55 due to complications from diabetes, the day after <mask> was drafted by the Rockies. High school career
<mask> attended Stone Bridge High School public high school for a semester before attending Collegiate School, a preparatory school in Richmond, Virginia. As a junior in 2005, he threw for 3,287 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns and rushed for 634 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He was named an all-district, all-region, and all-state player.<mask> was twice named the Richmond Times-Dispatch Player of the Year. As a senior, he threw for 3,009 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions. In addition, he rushed for 1,132 yards and 18 touchdowns. That year, he was named an all-conference and all-state player as well as conference player of the year. He was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine for his performance in the state championship game win. <mask> also served as his senior class president. During his time in high school, <mask> attended the Manning Passing Academy, a summer football clinic run by multiple NFL MVP winner and eventual Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.Due to this encounter, Manning recognized <mask> many years later when the latter had flown to Denver to discuss the prospect of getting drafted by the Denver Broncos, where Manning had recently signed. <mask> was also a member of the Collegiate School basketball and baseball teams. <mask> committed to North Carolina State University on July 23, 2006. He also received a football scholarship offer from Duke University. College football career

NC State

Wilson redshirted during the 2007 season at NC State. In 2008, <mask> initially split time at quarterback with senior Daniel Evans and junior Harrison Beck. However, Evans and Beck saw no regular season action after Week 2 and Week 5, respectively.Thereafter, <mask> led the team to a 4–3 record in the regular season which NC State finished out on a four-game winning streak. During a 30–24 win over East Carolina, <mask> threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns. He threw for two touchdowns in each of the last six games in the regular season. In the 2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl against Rutgers, <mask> threw for 186 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 46 yards before halftime. Late in the first half, he scrambled to the Rutgers' four-yard line, where he was tackled and suffered a knee sprain. With <mask> sitting out the remainder of the game, his replacements threw a combined total of three interceptions with NC State eventually losing, 23–29. Over the course of the season, he completed 150 of 275 attempts for 1,955 yards and 17 touchdowns with just one interception.He also recorded 116 carries for 394 yards and four touchdowns. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) named him the first-team All-ACC quarterback. It was the first time in the conference's history that a freshman quarterback was named to the first team. Prior to the 2009 season, <mask> was named as the quarterback on the pre-season all-ACC football team on July 12. On September 19, <mask> broke Andre Woodson's all-time NCAA record of 325 consecutive pass attempts without an interception against Gardner–Webb. The 379-pass streak ended in a game against Wake Forest on October 3. <mask> held the record until November 10, 2012, when it was broken by Louisiana Tech quarterback Colby Cameron.<mask> was named honorable mention All-ACC in 2009. <mask> finished the 2009 regular season with 3,027 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions as the team finished with a 5–7 record. <mask> led the 2010 Wolfpack to a 9–4 season that included a 23–7 win over West Virginia in the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl. He led the ACC in passing yards per game (274.1) and total offensive yards per game (307.5). He was named second-team All-ACC and runner-up for ACC Football Player of the Year. In May 2010, <mask> graduated from NC State in three years with a BA in communication, and took graduate-level business courses in the fall semester during the 2010 football season. Transfer
In January 2011, <mask> announced that he would report to spring training with the Colorado Rockies organization.NC State head coach Tom O'Brien expressed reservations with <mask>'s decision, saying "<mask> and I have had very open conversations about his responsibilities respective to baseball and football. While I am certainly respectful of <mask>'s dedication to baseball these last several years, within those discussions I also communicated to him the importance of his time commitment to NC State football." O'Brien and his staff reached out to NFL coaches and general managers on <mask>'s behalf, but he failed to receive an invitation to the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine. On April 29, 2011, O'Brien announced that <mask> had been granted a release from his football scholarship with one year of eligibility remaining. Wisconsin

On June 27, 2011, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema announced that <mask> had committed to Wisconsin for the 2011 season. In the season opener against UNLV, <mask> passed for 255 yards and two passing touchdowns in a 51–17 victory. He also rushed for 62 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown run.At the end of the regular season, <mask> was named first team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. He also won the Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year award. In the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game on December 3, <mask> threw for three touchdowns and led the Badgers to a 42–39 win over the Michigan State Spartans. <mask> was named the game's Grange-Griffin MVP. In December 2011, <mask> was named a third team All-American by Yahoo! Sports, and he finished ninth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy with 52 points. In the 2012 Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks on January 2, 2012, <mask> had 19 pass completions on 25 attempts for 296 yards, 18 rushing yards, and 3 touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing) as the Badgers lost by a score of 38–45.<mask> finished the season with 33 passing touchdowns, which set the single season record at Wisconsin and was the second-most in Big Ten history behind Drew Brees during the 1998 season at Purdue (39). <mask> also set the single season FBS record for passing efficiency (191.8). On January 28, 2012, <mask> completed his college football career at the 2012 Senior Bowl. Statistics

Professional football career
On January 16, 2012, <mask> began training for the NFL Scouting Combine at the IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Prior to the 2012 NFL Draft, <mask> had been projected by NFL scouts and analysts to be a middle-round pick. In February 2012, former NFL quarterback and director of the IMG Madden Football Academy Chris Weinke said of <mask>, "If he was 6–5, he'd probably be the No. 1 pick in the draft."On April 11, 2012, ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden said, "The only issue with <mask> is his height. That might be the reason he's not picked in the first couple rounds." 2012

<mask> was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round (picked 75th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft, the sixth quarterback selected. The Seahawks received significant criticism for their selections in this draft, and for <mask> in particular, as they had just signed free agent Matt Flynn. Two weeks later, <mask> signed a four-year, $2.99 million contract with the Seahawks on May 7, 2012. He made his preseason debut against the Tennessee Titans on August 11, 2012 and had his first preseason start on August 24 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Two days later on August 26, 2012, <mask> was named the starting quarterback for the first regular season game after competing with Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson for the position.On September 9, 2012, <mask> made his regular season debut in a 20–16 road loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He had 18 completions on 34 passing attempts for 153 yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception. In the third regular season game on Monday night, the Seahawks won 14–12 over the Green Bay Packers on a controversial Hail Mary touchdown pass to Golden Tate. The contentious nature of the replacement officials' decision on the play was widely considered to have been the tipping point that led to an agreement being reached to end the referee lockout. <mask> earned the Rookie of the Week honors for his stellar performance in a 28–7 victory over the New York Jets on November 11; he completed 12 of 19 attempts for 188 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 34 yards on seven  attempts. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and Player of the Week for his performance in the 23–17 road win over the Chicago Bears in overtime on December 2. In the 50–17 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Toronto on December 16, <mask> had 205 passing yards, one passing touchdown, nine rushes, 92 rushing yards, and a career-high three rushing touchdowns.He earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month honors for December 2012 after the Seahawks went 5–0 and he had a passer rating of 115.2. <mask> finished the  regular season ranked fourth in the NFL in passer rating (100.0), beating the previous rookie record set by Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 (98.1), since broken by Robert Griffin III in 2012 (102.4) and Dak Prescott in  (104.9). He threw for 3,118 yards and 26 touchdowns, tying Peyton Manning's record for most touchdowns thrown by a rookie, and rushed for 489 yards and four touchdowns. <mask>'s scrambling mobility and ability to extend plays outside the pocket with his legs earned numerous comparisons to Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton. <mask> led the Seahawks to the postseason in his rookie year, with both games on the road in January. He made his postseason debut in the NFC Wild Card Round against the Washington Redskins, passing for 187 yards and rushing for 67 yards as the Seahawks rallied for a 24–14 comeback victory. In the Divisional Round against the Atlanta Falcons, <mask> threw for 385 yards and rushed for 60 yards, and his team had a 28–27 lead with 31 seconds to go, but the Falcons managed to kick the winning field goal.<mask> was selected as an alternate for the 2013 Pro Bowl, filling in for Matt Ryan of Atlanta. At the Pro Bowl in Hawaii on January 27, <mask> completed eight of ten attempts for 98 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 147.1 rating. At the end of the season, <mask> earned a bonus of $222,000 through the NFL's Performance-Based Pay program. 2013

<mask>'s Seahawks opened the 2013 season with the first 4–0

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 start in franchise history, before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. The Seahawks then went on a 7-game winning streak, including a 41–20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings where he posted a career-high 151.4 passer rating and culminating in a 34–7 victory over the Saints in Week 13 in which <mask> threw three touchdown passes and earned his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Over the next three weeks, the Seahawks suffered divisional losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals (the loss to the Cardinals was <mask>'s first home loss), but defeated the Rams in Week 17 to finish the season with a 13–3 record, the NFC West title, and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.<mask> finished the season with 26 touchdown passes, 9 interceptions, and a 101.2 passer rating, becoming the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to post a 100+ passer rating in each of his first two seasons. <mask> was named to his second Pro Bowl on December 27, 2013. In the Divisional Round, the Seahawks defeated the New Orleans Saints by a score of 23–15. On January 19, 2014, <mask> and the Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship by a score of 23–17, advancing to Super Bowl XLVIII. <mask> threw for 206 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 123.1 passer rating in a 43–8 rout of the Denver Broncos. With the victory, <mask> became just the second black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, joining Super Bowl XXII winner Doug Williams. At 5'11" tall, he also became the shortest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, shorter than Len Dawson, Joe Theismann, and Drew Brees (all 6'0").<mask> earned a bonus of $169,141.73 for the 2013 season through the NFL's Performance-Based Pay program. 2014

On September 21, 2014, <mask> led the Seahawks on an 80-yard touchdown drive in overtime to defeat the Denver Broncos, 26–20, in a Week 3 rematch of the previous season's Super Bowl. On October 6, 2014, against the Washington Redskins, <mask> set a new Monday Night Football record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game with 122. The Seahawks clinched a playoff spot in Week 16 when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Indianapolis Colts by a score of  42–7, eliminating the Philadelphia Eagles from postseason contention and allowing the Seahawks to clinch before their Sunday Night Football matchup. On December 21, 2014, <mask> went 20-of-31 and threw for a then-career-high 339 yards with two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in a primetime matchup on Sunday Night Football. <mask> also led the offense in gaining 596 yards, setting a franchise record for most yards gained in a game. The Cardinals had the third-best scoring defense heading into Week 16.The Seahawks won 35–6 as they snapped the Cardinals' seven-game home winning streak and regained first place in the NFC West as well as the NFC's #1 seed. The Seahawks defeated the St. Louis Rams 20–6 in Week 17 to clinch the NFC West and the #1 seed for the second consecutive season, securing homefield advantage for the entirety of the NFC playoffs. <mask> led the Seahawks to a 31–17 home win over the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional Round, making the Seahawks the first defending Super Bowl Champion to win a playoff game since the 2005 Patriots. The Seahawks hosted the Green Bay Packers in their second consecutive NFC Championship. <mask> threw 3 first-half interceptions while completing only two passes to his own team as the Seahawks fell behind 16–0 at halftime. With the Packers leading 19–7 and five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, <mask> threw his fourth interception. Then <mask> led the Seahawks on an improbable comeback.On the Seahawks' next drive, <mask> ran the ball in for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 19–14. After a successful onside kick recovery, <mask> led the Seahawks down the field, and Lynch scored to give the Seahawks a 20–19 lead. <mask> completed a 15-yard, two-point conversion pass to Luke Willson to make it 22–19. The Packers tied it up with a field goal at the end of regulation and forced overtime. The Seahawks won the coin toss, and the offense took the field. <mask> led the Seahawks on an 80-yard drive that was capped by a 35-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Kearse. The Seahawks completed their largest postseason comeback in franchise history and clinched a Super Bowl berth.<mask> would have been selected as an alternate to the Pro Bowl, but did not play because the Seahawks advanced to the Super Bowl; as <mask> did not have a chance to decline the invitation, the NFL recognizes this as a Pro Bowl berth for him. The Seahawks became the first defending champion to return to the Super Bowl since the 2004 Patriots. They faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, where they were defeated by a final score of 28–24. Although the Seahawks led 24–14 heading into the fourth quarter, the Patriots scored two consecutive touchdowns to take a four-point lead with 2:02 remaining. <mask> led the Seahawks to the Patriots' one-yard line with 25 seconds remaining, but Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted a pass intended for Ricardo Lockette, sealing the victory for the Patriots. 2015

On July 31, 2015, the Seahawks and <mask> agreed to a 4-year, $87.6 million contract extension, making him, at the time, the second-highest-paid player in the NFL. In the first nine games of the season, <mask> threw 10 touchdown passes and seven interceptions.Over the next five games, <mask> threw 19 touchdowns and no interceptions, becoming the only quarterback in NFL history to throw 3+ touchdown passes and no interceptions in five consecutive games. After a 2–4 start to the season, <mask> led the Seahawks to win seven of their next eight games and clinch a fourth consecutive playoff appearance in their Week 15 win over the Cleveland Browns. His strong performance over the second half of the season, even after losing star running back Marshawn Lynch and tight end Jimmy Graham, led many analysts to consider <mask> an MVP candidate. <mask> broke numerous Seahawks single season passing records in 2015, including most passing yards (4,024), most passing touchdowns (34), and highest passer rating (110.1). He became the first Seahawks quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season, and finished the year with the highest passer rating in the NFL. <mask>'s 51.7% deep ball completion percentage was the highest among NFL quarterbacks. On December 22, 2015, <mask> was named to his third Pro Bowl.He was ranked 17th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016. The Seahawks traveled to Minnesota to face the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round. The temperature at kickoff was −6 °F (−25 °F wind chill), making it the third coldest game in NFL history. <mask> struggled in the sub-zero temperatures, throwing for 142 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Vikings missed a short field goal in the last minute, allowing the Seahawks to advance to the Divisional Round to face the 15–1 Carolina Panthers. Down 31–0 at the half, <mask> helped lead a furious comeback attempt, but the Panthers won 31–24, denying <mask> and the Seahawks their third consecutive in the NFC Championship and a shot at a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance. In that game, <mask> threw for 366 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.<mask> was drafted first overall by Team Irvin in the 2016 Pro Bowl draft, and in the game threw eight completions on 12 attempts for 164 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 149.3 rating. He was named the Pro Bowl offensive MVP. 2016

The Seahawks had a solid 2016 season with <mask> at the helm. However, <mask> drew two minor injuries: his ankle during Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins after getting stepped on by defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, and his left knee against the San Francisco 49ers during Week 3 after a takedown by linebacker Eli Harold. The injuries hampered <mask>'s trademark mobility, and many speculated that he would be rested in order to properly recover. Regardless, <mask> started all 16 games in the season. On November 20, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had a 15-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Doug Baldwin on a trick play.<mask> also played the worst game of his career in 2016, throwing 5 interceptions in a 38–10 loss to the Green Bay Packers during Week 14. The team finished with a 10–5–1 record and won the NFC West. <mask> put together a season where he recorded a career-high 4,219 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 259 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. The Seahawks made the playoffs, where they defeated the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card Round. The win gave <mask> his eighth playoff victory. However, they fell to the eventual NFC champion Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round at the Georgia Dome. As of 2022, this is the only season where <mask> did not earn a Pro Bowl selection.He was ranked 24th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017. 2017

On September 5, 2017, <mask> was voted Seahawks offensive captain for the fifth consecutive season. In Week 3, in a 33–27 loss to the Tennessee Titans, he was 29 of 49 for 373 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. In Week 8 against the Houston Texans, <mask> posted an astounding performance, going 26 of 41 for a career-high 452 passing yards and four touchdowns in a matchup where both he and Deshaun Watson each threw over 400 yards. <mask> also rushed for 30 yards, totaling 482 yards of offense in the 41–38 victory. With his strong performance, <mask> earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week. On December 21, 2017, the Seahawks were fined $100,000 for failure to properly apply the concussion protocol on a hit <mask> sustained during the Week 10 win over the Arizona Cardinals.In Week 12, with the win over San Francisco, <mask> became the winningest quarterback in a player's first six seasons with 63 wins, surpassing Joe Flacco. Next week, with his 15-yard touchdown throw to running back J. D. McKissic, the third of his game, <mask> tied Eli Manning in 2011 for the most fourth quarter touchdowns in a single season with 15. He went 20 for 31 for 227 yards and three touchdowns in that game, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week. On December 19, 2017, <mask> was named to his fourth Pro Bowl. The Seahawks ended the season with nine wins, ending <mask>'s streak of five consecutive seasons with double-digit wins and a playoff appearance. He threw for 34 touchdown passes, finishing the season as the league's leader in touchdowns thrown. With 586 rushing yards and three touchdowns, he also finished the season as the team's leading rusher in both categories.<mask> was ranked 11th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018. 2018

With the Seahawks having lost many Pro Bowl starters in the offseason such as Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Kam Chancellor, Jimmy Graham and Richard Sherman, and having star safety Earl Thomas injured in the beginning of the regular season, many considered the team a long shot to return to the playoffs. In addition to dealing with a re-tooled roster, <mask> also had a new offensive coordinator in Brian Schottenheimer, who replaced Darrell Bevell. <mask> was once again named as a captain for the Seahawks going into the 2018 season. He started the season with 298 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 27–24 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 1. In Week 3, against the Dallas Cowboys, he helped lead the Seahawks to their first victory of the season with 192 passing yards and two touchdowns. In Weeks 5–8, against the Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders, and Detroit Lions, he had three consecutive games with three passing touchdowns.In Week 13, against the San Francisco 49ers, he had 185 passing yards and four touchdowns in the 43–16 victory. In Week 16, the Seahawks faced off against the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs on NBC Sunday Night Football. <mask> out-dueled the season's eventual MVP Patrick Mahomes to lead the team to a 38–31 victory. This not only ensured another winning season for the Seahawks, but also defied early-season expectations by returning to the post-season after a one-year absence. <mask> finished the season with 35 touchdowns and a 110.9 passer rating, both personal and franchise bests. He also set career franchise records with most quarterback regular-season wins (75) and most touchdowns (196). as the No.5-seed in the NFC, the Seahawks faced off against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round. <mask> passed for 233 yards and one passing touchdown to go along with a rushing touchdown as the Seahawks fell 24–22. <mask> was named to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time in his career, replacing Aaron Rodgers. 2019

On April 16, 2019, <mask> signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension to remain with the Seahawks through the 2023 season, making him the highest paid player in the NFL. In Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, <mask> threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns as the Seahawks won 28–26, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, <mask> completed 32 passes for 406 yards and two passing touchdowns. In addition, he rushed seven times for 51 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 33–27 loss.In Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams, <mask> threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns in the 30–29 win on Thursday Night Football. The next week, in a 32–28 victory over the Cleveland Browns, he had 295 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. In Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, <mask> threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns in the 40–34 overtime win, taking over the league lead in

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 touchdowns and quarterback rating. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. In Week 10 against the then-undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, <mask> threw for 232 yards, one touchdown, one interception and led the Seahawks to a 27–24 overtime win. <mask> finished the 2019 season with 4,110 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns, and five interceptions to go along with 75 carries for 342 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns as the Seahawks finished with an 11–5 record and made the playoffs as the NFC's #5 seed. He was once again named to the Pro Bowl, but also made his first appearance on the AP All-Pro team, being named second-team quarterback after Lamar Jackson.In the Wild Card Round against the Philadelphia Eagles, <mask> completed 18 of 30 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown. In addition, he rushed nine times for 45 yards. He accounted for 95 percent of the Seahawks total offense and led them to a 17–9 victory over the Eagles. In the Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers, <mask> threw for 277 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 64 yards during the 28–23 loss. <mask> was ranked 2nd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020, the highest of his career, and beat out the likes of renowned quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady. 2020

<mask> started off the 2020 season going 31 of 35 for 322 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in the 38–25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 1.In Week 2, against the New England Patriots on NBC Sunday Night Football, he had 288 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, and one interception in the 35–30 victory. <mask> continued his great start to the season with 315 passing yards and five touchdowns in the 38–31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. <mask> set an NFL record most passing touchdowns through three games with 14. He was again named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 3. On October 1, 2020, <mask> was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance in September. In Week 4, <mask> passed for 360 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 31–23 victory over the Miami Dolphins. In Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football, <mask> threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning six-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf with 14 seconds left in the game, during the 27–26 win.This win was his 100th win in 148 total games as starting quarterback for the Seahawks. In Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals, <mask> completed 33 of 50 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns, plus rushed 6 times for 48 yards, but threw three interceptions including a costly one to Isaiah Simmons with one minute left in overtime as the Seahawks lost 37–34. In Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, he threw for 261 yards and four passing touchdowns in the 37–27 victory. In Week 9, against the Buffalo Bills, he had 390 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and two interceptions to go along with a rushing touchdown in the 44–34 loss, with the 44 points the Buffalo Bills scored becoming the highest number of points allowed in the Pete Carroll era. In Week 14 against the New York Jets, <mask> threw for 206 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception during the 40–3 win. In the Week 17 season finale against the San Francisco 49ers, <mask> threw for 20 of 36 for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns and also rushed for 29 yards in the 26–23 victory. Overall, <mask> finished the 2020 season with 4,212 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.<mask> broke his own franchise record for passing touchdowns in a single season with his efforts in 2020. In the Wild Card Round, <mask> couldn't recreate his success from the regular season, only completing 11 of 27 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns and one interception which was returned for a touchdown by Darious Williams in a 30–20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. A few days later on February 6, <mask> was named Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his consistent and outgoing community service throughout the entirety of his career. <mask> was ranked 12th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021, the third highest ranking of his career. 2021

During the Seahawks Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, <mask> left the game after suffering a broken finger in the third quarter. He had surgery to repair the injury on October 8, 2021. On October 15, 2021, he was ruled out for the Seahawks' Week 6 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.It was the first game he missed in his career, which ended a streak of 149 consecutive games started by an NFL quarterback, which is sixth all-time. He was placed on injured reserved later that same day, ensuring he would miss the next three games at minimum. He was activated off injured reserve November 12. The Orioles considered <mask> a talent worthy of the first ten rounds and offered him a $350,000 signing bonus, the third-largest they offered a draftee that year after Matt Wieters ($6 million) and Jake Arrieta ($1.1 million). <mask> instead elected to attend NC State that fall. In a 2008 interview, <mask> said, "I was leaning towards [entering the draft], but a college education is something you'll always have." College baseball
<mask> was a member of the NC State Wolfpack baseball team from 2008 to 2010, and in the summer of 2009 played for the Gastonia Grizzlies, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League.He hit .282/.384/.415 with five home runs and 30 runs batted in (RBIs) during his collegiate career. Professional baseball

On June 8, 2010, <mask> was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round (140th pick overall) of the 2010 MLB draft. That summer he played 32 games as a second baseman for the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Rockies in the Northwest League. He finished the season with two home runs, 11 RBIs, and a .230 batting average. In the summer of 2011, <mask> played 61 games with the Asheville Tourists, the Class A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the South Atlantic League. He hit three home runs with 15 RBIs and a .228 batting average. In January 2012, <mask> informed the Rockies that he would be pursuing a career in the NFL and would not report to spring training for the 2012 season.On December 12, 2013, <mask> was acquired from the Rockies by the Texas Rangers in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. <mask> attended Rangers spring training in Surprise, Arizona in 2014 and 2015. On February 7, 2018, <mask> was traded from the Rangers to the New York Yankees and assigned to the Yankees' Double-A affiliate, the Trenton Thunder. <mask> grew up as a Yankees fan and promised his late father that he would one day wear the Yankees uniform. On March 2, <mask> pinch-hit for Aaron Judge in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves, his first appearance in a professional baseball game since 2011. He struck out on five pitches from Braves pitcher Max Fried. Business ventures and endorsements
On April 26, 2012, <mask> announced he had chosen French/West/Vaughan as his marketing, public relations, and endorsements agency.Since being named the starting quarterback of the Seahawks in August 2012, <mask> has appeared in advertisements for Levi's, American Family Insurance, Pepsi, Nike, Alaska Airlines, Microsoft, Duracell, Braun, Bose, United Way, and Larson Automotive Group. In 2014, <mask> became part-owner and endorser of Eat the Ball, a European bread company. In 2015, he began endorsing Luvo, a frozen food company, and Reliant Recovery Water. On February 29, 2016, <mask> launched Good Man Brand, a clothing line which he co-founded. In August 2016, it was announced that <mask> Press to open the company's first Seattle franchise. On November 14, 2016, <mask> announced he had joined Chris Hansen, Wally Walker, and Erik and Pete Nordstrom as partners in the investment group working to bring a new sports arena to Seattle's SoDo neighborhood for potential NBA and NHL teams. <mask> in 2017 founded a fan network platform to connect fans with celebrities called TraceMe.TraceMe launched its public beta on September 8, 2017, and announced $9 million in Series A funding with investors including Jeff Bezos' Bezos Expeditions, Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. On November 20, 2017, football helmet manufacturer VICIS announced a $7 million investment round which included <mask> as an investor. In June 2018, <mask> and his wife Ciara announced they were joining an effort to bring a Major League Baseball franchise to Portland, Oregon. In July 2018, <mask> became an investor and endorser for Molecule, a mattress company. In September 2018, <mask> was announced as the next athlete to appear on the cover of the Wheaties cereal box. In August 2019, <mask> and his wife Ciara announced that they had joined the ownership group for Seattle Sounders FC, the local Major League Soccer club. The Sounders would go on to win the 2019 MLS Cup, thus giving <mask> an MLS Cup to his credit as part owner.In January 2020, <mask> has been named Chairman of NFL FLAG. The global partnership will focus on strengthening NFL FLAG domestically and expanding the league internationally. He  has worked with the flag football organizations in China, Brazil, Canada and the United Kingdom to help spread awareness of the sport and get athletes engaged in the game at a young age. More recently, both <mask> and Ciara struck first look deal with Amazon Studios. In popular culture
<mask> has appeared on the cover of several magazines including Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated Kids, Rolling Stone, ESPN The Magazine, Men's Fitness, and Men's Health. Rapper Eminem mentions <mask> in his 2013 song, "The Monster":

<mask> has appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Charlie Rose, and in the 2015 film Entourage. He also hosted the 2015, 2016, and 2017 Kids' Choice Sports on Nickelodeon

<mask> was the keynote speaker for the 2016 commencement ceremony at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.Personal and academic life
<mask> graduated from NC State with a bachelor's degree in broadcast/communications in 2010 after three years of study. After transferring to the University of Wisconsin, he earned a master's degree in educational leadership and policy analysis. <mask> met his first wife, Ashton Meem, while they were both high school students. They married in January 2012 and divorced in April 2014. <mask> is married to American R&B singer Ciara. They began dating in early 2015 and announced their engagement on March 11, 2016. They were married on July 6, 2016, at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England.He has a stepson from her relationship with Future. Their daughter, was born on April 28, 2017. On January 30, 2020, they announced that they were expecting their second child together. Their son was born on July 23, 2020. <mask> is a devout Christian. He frequently speaks about his Christian faith on his social media accounts. <mask> and Ciara made a vow to be celibate until they got married.His net worth as of October 2016 is $120 million. <mask>'s younger sister Anna plays basketball at Stanford. Charitable work
<mask> is an active volunteer in the Seattle community. During the NFL season, <mask> makes weekly visits on his days off to the Seattle Children's Hospital, and has also visited with soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. In the offseason, <mask> hosts the Russell Wilson Passing Academy, a youth football camp, in several cities. In 2012, proceeds from the camp went to the Charles Ray III Diabetes Association, for which <mask> is the National Ambassador. In 2013 and 2014, <mask> partnered with Russell Investments for its "Invested with Russell" program, which donated $3,000 to <mask>'s charitable foundation for every touchdown he scored.<mask> co-hosts an annual charity golf event along with NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Washington to support various organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Seattle Children's Hospital. In August 2016, <mask>'s Why Not You Foundation presented a check for $1,060,005 to Seattle Children's Hospital for its Strong Against Cancer initiative. In March 2020, <mask> and Ciara partnered with Food Lifeline to donate one million meals to those in need during the coronavirus pandemic. See also

 List of NCAA Division I FBS career passing touchdowns leaders
 List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
 List of Seattle Seahawks starting quarterbacks
 List of Super Bowl starting quarterbacks
 List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating
 List of National Football League annual passing touchdowns leaders

References

External links

Seattle Seahawks bio
NC State Wolfpack bio
Wisconsin Badgers bio

1988 births
Living people
African-American baseball players
African-American Christians
African-American players of American football
American football quarterbacks
American philanthropists
American soccer chairmen and investors
Asheville Tourists players
Baseball players from Cincinnati
Baseball players from Seattle
Baseball players from Richmond, Virginia
Baseball second basemen
National Conference Pro Bowl players
NC State Wolfpack baseball players
NC State Wolfpack football players
Players of American football from Cincinnati
Players of American football from Seattle
Players of American football from Richmond, Virginia
Seattle Seahawks players
Tri-City Dust Devils players
Unconferenced Pro Bowl players
Wisconsin Badgers football

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<mask> (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed  club Everton. Benítez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under-19 and reserve team coach, and assistant manager for the senior team. He moved away from Real Madrid in 1995, but management spells at Real Valladolid and Osasuna were short-lived and unsuccessful. He guided Segunda División club Extremadura back to La Liga in his first season in the 1997–98 season, but the team was relegated the following season. He left the club, and coached Tenerife in 2000, winning promotion in his only season. <mask> was appointed coach of Valencia and won La Liga in the 2001–02 season. In 2004, another La Liga league title and a UEFA Cup victory were added building on the foundation laid by Héctor Cúper who had taken Valencia to two consecutive Champions League finals; in 2000 against Real Madrid, and in 2001 against Bayern Munich.After leaving Valencia, Benitez moved to English club Liverpool of the Premier League, guiding the club to victory in the UEFA Champions League in 2005. For the second consecutive season, he was named UEFA Manager of the Year. He also won the FA Cup in 2006 and reached the 2007 Champions League Final, but was unable to win the Premier League, with Liverpool's best league performance under Benítez a second-place finish in 2008–09. After leaving Liverpool in June 2010, <mask> was appointed manager of treble-winning side Inter Milan. His reign at the club was a short one and he was dismissed midway through the 2010–11 season. In November 2012, he was appointed interim manager of Chelsea for the remainder of the season and he won the 2013 Europa League. He returned to Italy in 2013 to coach Napoli, where he won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.He then left Napoli and became coach of Real Madrid in June 2015 on an initial three-year contract. It was another short-lived appointment and on 4 January 2016, he was dismissed following a 2–2 draw against his old club, Valencia. <mask> was appointed as manager of Newcastle United in March 2016 in an attempt to save the club from relegation. He was unable to avoid relegation, but earned promotion back to the Premier League the following year, winning the Championship. He left the club in June 2019 and the following month was appointed manager of Chinese Super League club Dalian Professional. He left the club by mutual consent in January 2021 before taking over as manager at Everton in June. He was dismissed in January 2022 after a run where Everton lost 9 out of 13 games.Early career
Benítez passed through the playing ranks as a midfielder for both Real Madrid Aficionados in the Tercera División and Castilla CF in the Segunda División. He also enrolled as a student at INEF, the sports faculty at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and in 1982 he obtained a degree in physical education. In 1979, <mask> was selected to play for the Spain Youth U-19s at the World Student Games in Mexico City and he scored a penalty in the opening game, a 10–0 win against Cuba. In the next game, a 0–0 draw against Canada, he was injured in a hard tackle. The injury saw him sidelined for a year and hampered his chances of becoming a major player. In 1981, <mask> joined Tercera División side Parla. Initially, he joined Parla on loan, but eventually signed for them permanently and helped them gain promotion to Segunda División B.He also played a further three games for the Spain Universities XI. In 1985, he signed for Segunda División B club Linares and under Enrique Mateos, he served as a player/coach. Further injury problems saw him miss almost the entire 1985–86 season and he subsequently retired as a player. Managerial career

Real Madrid youth coach
In 1986, at the age of 26, Benítez returned to Real Madrid to join the club's coaching staff. At the start of the 1986–87 season, he was appointed coach of Castilla B. With this team, he won two league titles in 1987 and 1989. He won a third league title with Real Madrid Youth B in 1990.Halfway through the 1990–91 season he succeeded José Antonio Camacho as the coach of Real Madrid' under-19 club. With the team, he won the Spain Under 19s Cup in 1991 and 1993, defeating Barcelona in both finals. In 1993, the team completed a double when they also won the national under-19 league. While at Real, Benítez also gained his coaching certificate in 1989 and in the summer of 1990 taught at a football camp at the University of California in Davis, California. During the 1992–93 season, Benítez also worked as an assistant coach to Mariano García Remón at Real Madrid B. After his success with the U19s, Benítez then succeeded García Remón at the start of the 1993–94 season. Real Madrid B were then playing in the Segunda División and on 4 September 1993, he made his debut as a Segunda División manager with a 3–1 over Hércules.In March 1994, he became assistant manager to Vicente del Bosque with the senior Real Madrid team before returning to coach Real Madrid B for the 1994–95 season. Early coaching
The first attempts by Benítez at senior management away from the Real Madrid fold were less than successful. He was appointed manager of Real Valladolid for the 1995–96 season, but was dismissed after only two wins in 23 games with the club bottom of La Liga. During the 1996–97 season, Benítez took charge at Osasuna in the Segunda División, but after only nine games and one win, he was dismissed. He did, however, meet the fitness instructor Pako Ayestarán at the club, and went on to form a partnership with him at several clubs for the next decade. In 1997, he joined another Segunda División side, Extremadura, and this time led them to promotion, finishing second in the table behind Alavés after winning 23 out of 42 games. Extremadura only survived one season in La Liga, however, and were relegated in 1999 after finishing 17th and losing a play-off to Rayo Vallecano.<mask> subsequently quit Extremadura and took a year off from football to study in England and Italy. He also worked as a commentator/analyst for Eurosport, Marca, El Mundo and local Madrid TV. In 2000, he was appointed manager of Tenerife of the Segunda División and with a team that included Mista, Curro Torres and Luis García, he gained promotion to La Liga by finishing third in the league behind Sevilla and Real Betis. Valencia

2001–04: Twice Spanish champions and UEFA Cup winners
In 2001, <mask> was appointed coach of Valencia, replacing Héctor Cúper. The club had previously approached Javier Irureta, Mané and Luis Aragonés and had been turned down by all three. However, Club Director Javier Subirats recognised the potential of Benítez and campaigned for his appointment. According to Santiago Cañizares, the squad was initially surprised but they were immediately won over by his modesty as he presented himself as quoted: "You come from the Champions League final and I come from Segunda División, but humbly I think I have tools to make you improve".Valencia fans also were soon won over by <mask> after he introduced a more attacking style of play than his predecessor, Cúper. He also brought in both Mista from his former club and Francisco Rufete from Málaga, with Mista going on to become top goalscorer for Valencia with 19 goals in the 2003–04 season. In 2002, these tactics saw Benítez lead Valencia to their first La Liga title in 31 years, winning it by a seven-point margin over second-placed Deportivo La Coruña. However, the following 2002–03 season was a disappointing one; the club failed to follow up on their title success, finishing 18 points behind champions Real Madrid, and missed out on the top four by a single point. The season also saw Benítez make his debut in the Champions League, where his side reached the quarter-finals, losing to Inter Milan. In 2003–04 season, Valencia won La Liga with three games to spare and beat Marseille 2–0 in the UEFA Cup final. Despite this success, Benítez fell out with Jesús García Pitarch, the club's director of football, over control of new signings and the club's failure to reinforce the squad with the players he wanted.He said, "I was hoping for a sofa [a defender] and they've brought me a lamp [Fabián Canobbio]," in reference to the positions he wanted to be strengthened. These differences of opinion saw <mask> resign as Valencia coach on 1 June 2004. Liverpool
On 16 June 2004, <mask> was appointed manager of Liverpool, replacing Gérard Houllier, becoming the first Spaniard to manage in the Premier League. On his arrival he stated: "It is like a dream to be here. I am very, very proud to be joining one of the most important clubs in the world in one of the best leagues in the world - and I want to win." 2004–06: Early successes

One of <mask>'s first tasks at Liverpool was to convince club captain Steven Gerrard not to move to rivals Chelsea. He was unable, however, to convince Michael Owen to extend his contract; he was subsequently sold to Real Madrid.Later in the summer transfer window, Benítez signed several players from La Liga, most notably Luis García and Xabi Alonso, both of whom drew immediate admiration from Liverpool supporters. Benítez also gave new life to existing Liverpool players, transforming Jamie Carragher from a utility player to one of Europe's top centre backs alongside Sami Hyypiä. During his first season, Benítez was unable to improve Liverpool's form in the Premiership. Key players missed much of the season through injury and Liverpool failed to challenge Chelsea and Arsenal for the league title, finishing fifth. <mask>, however, did reach his first English domestic cup final, losing the League Cup final against Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium 3–2 after extra time. In the Champions League, however, Liverpool fared differently. The club began their campaign with an unimpressive 2–1 aggregate win over Grazer AK in the qualifying rounds and were minutes away from going out of the competition in the group stages.However, an 87th-minute goal by Steven Gerrard defeated Olympiacos 3–1 and saw the club progress to the last 16 on head-to-head difference. After defeating Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus with the aid of some bold team selections by Benítez, Liverpool faced Chelsea in the semi-final. A controversial early goal from Luis García saw Liverpool win 1–0 on aggregate and reach the final against Milan. In a classic final, dubbed the Miracle of Istanbul, Liverpool came from 3–0 down at half time to level the score at 3–3 in the space of just six minutes, eventually triumphing 3–2 on penalties with the assistance of goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. Benítez's calm, methodical approach at half time was said to give the players the belief they could pull off an improbable comeback and win Liverpool an historic fifth European Cup. In doing so, <mask> became only the third manager in history (after Bob Paisley and José Mourinho) to win the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League in successive seasons, and the second Liverpool manager (after Joe Fagan) ever to win the European Cup/UEFA Champions League in his first season in charge. <mask>'s tactics were credited as a key factor in Liverpool reaching, and winning, the final, despite a relatively unimpressive squad of players.Dudek's heroics in the final were not enough for him to stay as first-choice keeper, as newly signed Pepe Reina replaced him in from the start of the 2005–06 season. Benítez also quickly discarded Vladimír Šmicer and Igor Bišćan, who played key roles in the European success but seemingly did not figure in Benítez's long-term plans. Benítez also quickly sold Josemi and Antonio Núñez, two of his first signings in English football, after they failed to establish themselves, with the likes of Peter Crouch, Mohamed Sissoko, Daniel Agger as well as former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler being brought in to strengthen the side. Benítez's signings helped the club's Premiership form improve considerably. Liverpool finished third in the league, missing out on second place by one point. Liverpool also won the FA Cup beating both Manchester United and Chelsea, as well as a thrilling 5–3 win against Luton Town in the third round, on the way to the final against West Ham United. History repeated itself in the final as they then went on to lift the trophy after a penalty shoot-out, following a dramatic 3–3 draw.Liverpool came from 2–0 down and were losing 3–2 in stoppage time when Steven Gerrard scored a dramatic late

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Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
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Benítez
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Benítez


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 equalizer. This time, Pepe Reina saved three penalties during the shoot-out to secure the silverware. 2006–08 Confrontation with new owners
Following Benítez's great early success, the English media were predicting Liverpool would challenge Chelsea for the 2006–07 Premier League title after Benítez addressed Liverpool's perceived weaknesses in the transfer window, a belief reaffirmed after his side won the Community Shield with a 2–1 victory over Chelsea. The title challenge, however, fizzled out early in the season, with Liverpool's poor form away from Anfield leading to speculation <mask>'s tenure at Liverpool was short-lived, with his agent quoted as saying Benítez would consider offers to manage in Italy. Benítez swiftly issued a statement through the club's website re-affirming his desire to remain with Liverpool for the long term. Supporters and manager joined to welcome new owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, with the hope the new owners would bring funding for new players and a new stadium. Gillett declared himself delighted with the manager of his new investment, as Benítez overcame his domestic difficulties to lead Liverpool to another Champions League final.After Liverpool again defeated Chelsea in the semi-final, this time on penalties, Gillett stated, "Rafa has been tremendous ... We knew of him but I don't think we realized how good he was, and not just as a coach. Not only was he a brilliant coach but he is a very sharp, savvy businessman. He knows what he wants and how to get it. The more we have seen of him the more impressed we have become." Benítez did not reciprocate his owner's kind words, demanding his club's new owners had to back him in the transfer market in order for Liverpool to progress following his side's 2–1 loss to Milan in the final. It was reported Benítez did not feel he had the complete support of the new owners, a thought that was compounded by Liverpool's initial lack of activity in the transfer window, although the club played these rumours down. Benítez's spending was, eventually, significant, breaking Liverpool's transfer record when signing Spanish striker Fernando Torres from Atlético Madrid as well as signing Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun, Lucas Leiva and Andriy Voronin.Among those Benítez sold was Craig Bellamy, who was notably phased out of the first team following an altercation with John Arne Riise in the buildup to Liverpool's remarkable victory over Barcelona in the Camp Nou en route to the Champions League final. Liverpool made a good start to the 2007–08 season, topping the Premier League table for the first time under Benítez after a comprehensive 6–0 win over Derby County. Despite this, poor results in the Champions League and a disagreement over future transfers lead to a public falling-out with the club's owners, which played out in the media at the end of November. It was suggested that Benítez's position was now under serious threat. The resulting coverage resulted in a show of support by fans in support of Benítez which culminated in a fans' march in support of Benítez ahead of the critical Champions League home tie with Porto, which they won 4–1. It later emerged that Jürgen Klinsmann had been offered Benítez's job before eventually accepting the post of Bayern Munich manager. Such a revelation damaged Benítez's relations with the Americans, with constant rumours linking the Spaniard with a move back to Real Madrid.<mask>, however, said that his future was at Liverpool and signalled his long-term intentions by appointing Sammy Lee as his new assistant to replace his long-time right-hand man, Pako Ayestarán, who quit after a reported disagreement, which Benítez admitted "hurt" him and arguably Liverpool's titles hopes. Benítez was unable to win any trophies as Liverpool's domestic campaign falter in the winter months – including a shock FA Cup exit at home to Barnsley, with his side losing to Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals. Despite the lack of silverware, the main talking points were off the pitch, with Benítez in the middle of a power struggle with the Liverpool board. 2008–09: League runner-up
In a sign of the increasingly strained relationship between the Liverpool manager and his board, Benítez was reportedly close to quitting Liverpool in the summer of 2008 over the Liverpool board's failure to back him in his bid to purchase Gareth Barry from Aston Villa. Benítez had reportedly intended to sell Xabi Alonso to fund the purchase of Barry, but Liverpool CEO Rick Parry was reported to have prioritised signing Robbie Keane over Barry, causing tension when Barry did not arrive. Striker Keane was later re-sold back to Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, with some analysts claiming he was a "pawn in a power struggle" between Benítez and the club's owners. This off-field turmoil was in contrast to Liverpool's impressive start to the 2008–09 season in the Premier League, including <mask>' first ever league win against Manchester United at Anfield on 13 September and ending Chelsea's 86 match unbeaten run in the league at Stamford Bridge.Liverpool finished the calendar year top of the Premier League for the first time since 1996. However, Liverpool's poor results in the New Year led to a sharper focus on <mask>, who had missed Liverpool's draw at Arsenal in December due to an operation to remove kidney stones. An infamous attack on Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in the media led some pundits and opposition supporters to suggest Benítez was "cracking up" under the pressure of a title bid. Benítez still appeared to be at odds with Liverpool's owners, publicly turning down a contract extension and demanding more control over transfers. At one point, rumours of Benítez quitting or being dismissed became so great that bookmakers had to suspend betting on the subject. Nevertheless, on 18 March 2009, shortly after registering a 4–0 victory over Real Madrid and 4–1 victory over Manchester United, Benítez signed a new five-year deal with the club. Benítez said, "My heart is with Liverpool, so I'm delighted to sign this new deal, I love the club, the fans and the city and with a club and supporters like this, I could never say no to staying."With ten wins in their last 11 games, Liverpool finished the season on a high, finishing second in the league for the first time under Benítez, four points off champions Manchester United, with Liverpool playing an attractive brand of attacking football at odds with the side that struggled through the winter months. 2009–10: Decline and dismissal

Prior to Benítez's final season at Liverpool, Xabi Alonso, one of the key members of Benítez's squad, was sold to Real Madrid following a lengthy pursuit in a deal reportedly worth £30 million. Alonso said that Benítez's attempts to sell him the previous summer were a deciding factor in his move. Alonso was immediately replaced in the squad by Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, signed from Roma for £17 million, who was recovering from a long-term injury. Also added was England defender Glen Johnson for a £17.5 million fee. A "sell to buy" policy enforced by the ownership due to increasing debt, combined with Alonso's departure, prompted discontent amongst considerable sections of the club's fanbase who believed Benítez was not being backed sufficiently in the transfer market. Benítez's decision to sell Alonso and replace him in the side with Lucas Leiva, in addition to Aquilani having arrived at the club injured, was called into question as Liverpool's title campaign began with two defeats in the first three games.Benítez defended his decisions, arguing Liverpool's slow start was due to key players such as Steven Gerrard being below par. Liverpool's worst run in 22 years combined with an exit from the Champions League at the group stages led to the first major vocal criticism of Benítez by Liverpool fans. It was suggested that this Liverpool team was missing Benítez's characteristic defensive rigidity despite the fact that only Manchester United and Chelsea conceded fewer goals than Liverpool, and lacked the necessary depth to cope with injuries to key players such as Gerrard and Fernando Torres while Benítez's decision making was called into question. The club subsequently exited the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Atlético Madrid. Benítez left the club "by mutual consent" on 3 June 2010 with a reported £6 million pay-off; the media speculated that this was because the team had finished seventh in the Premier League, missing out on the Champions League, and suffered poor results, including the defeat by Wigan Athletic. Shortly after his departure from Anfield, Benítez made a £96,000 donation to the Hillsborough Family Support Group. Inter Milan
On 10 June 2010, and only a few days after leaving Liverpool, <mask> agreed a deal to become the new head coach of Serie A and reigning Champions League title-holders Inter Milan, a post that was left vacant by the departure of José Mourinho, who left to manage Real Madrid.On 15 June 2010, <mask> was presented to the Italian media for the first time after signing a two-year deal. On 21 August 2010, <mask> won his first trophy as manager, the Italian Super Cup, after they defeated Roma 3–1. On 27 August 2010 in Monaco, Inter lost to Atlético Madrid in the 2010 UEFA Super Cup. <mask>'s first Serie A game in charge was on 31 August 2010 in a 0–0 draw away to Bologna in the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. His first league win as manager came on 11 September 2010, a 2–1 win against Udinese at the San Siro. By December 2010, Inter had slumped to sixth in Serie A, 13 points adrift of the top (although Inter played two games less), having suffered consecutive defeats against arch rivals Milan (which ended a 46 match unbeaten home record), Chievo and Lazio, as well as losing at Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, leading to speculation that <mask>'s position was under threat. Despite criticism, Benítez guided Inter to win the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2010.Buoyed by the Club World Cup victory, he told the European champions to back him with new signings or consider whether they wanted to keep him as coach, despite the side having won the treble only a few months earlier. <mask>'s demands were dismissed out of hand by the Inter ownership, with Massimo Moratti refusing to comment on Benítez's continued employment by the club. On 23 December 2010, just five days after bringing Inter to the triumph, <mask> was dismissed by Inter. Chelsea

On 21 November 2012, following the dismissal of Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea appointed <mask> as interim first-team manager until the end of the 2012–13 season. He was unveiled as the new Chelsea manager at a press conference on 22 November 2012. He appointed Boudewijn Zenden as his new assistant manager at Chelsea on the same day. The appointment was unpopular with many Chelsea fans due to <mask>' association with Liverpool and comments he had previously made about the club, and he received a "fiercely hostile reception" as he was introduced at his first home game, a 0–0 draw with Manchester City on 25 November 2012.This was followed by a 0–0 draw at home to Fulham and a 3–1 loss to West Ham. On 5 December 2012, <mask> recorded his first win as Chelsea manager, a 6–1 victory at home to Nordsjælland in the Champions League. Despite this win, Chelsea failed to progress beyond the group stage of the competition. This was followed by a 3–1 away victory to Sunderland, with <mask> presiding over his first league win as Chelsea manager. At the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2012, Chelsea defeated Monterrey 3–1 to reach the final, where they were beaten 1–0 by Brazilian side Corinthians. Chelsea progressed to the League Cup semi-finals with a 5–1 win over Leeds United at Elland Road and then recorded an 8–0 win over Aston Villa, equalling their record top-flight victory. They subsequently lost 1–0 at home to 20th-placed Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League and were knocked out of the League Cup semi-finals by underdogs Swansea City 2–0 on aggregate.On 27 February 2013, following a 2–0 win at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth-round, <mask> heavily criticised the Chelsea board for giving him the title of "interim manager" and the Chelsea fans for their protests against him. He also confirmed that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season. He described his relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich as "excellent" and expressed his desire to remain as Chelsea

masks: Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez Benítez


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 manager until the end of the season. Results continued to be mixed, and at one point Chelsea found themselves 16 points behind league leaders Manchester United, having been just four behind when <mask> was appointed. Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing 2–1 to Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, and also progressed to the final of the UEFA Europa League. In the penultimate league game of the season, Chelsea won 2–1 away to Aston Villa, a game in which Frank Lampard set the all-time scoring record at Chelsea. The win secured a top-four Premiership finish and with it a place in the following season's Champions League.In the Europa League final against Benfica on 15 May, Chelsea won 2–1. This made <mask> only the second manager after Giovanni Trapattoni to have won the UEFA Cup/Europa League with two different teams, and Chelsea became the fourth club overall and first in Britain to have won all three major European trophies. Defender David Luiz credited <mask> with making critical changes at half time, saying, "He changed some of our positions in the second half. That's why we played better and won the title. He spoke a lot to us to change the intensity." On the winning goal scored by Branislav Ivanović, Juan Mata said, "Rafa told us we had to aim to the far post, because it was Artur's weakest place. I just tried to put the ball there and Ivanovic did the rest."On 19 May, in his final competitive game as Chelsea manager, Benítez managed the team to a 2–1 home win over Everton, ensuring a third-place finish in the Premier League and a direct spot in the following season's Champions League group stage. Benitez didn't take part in the lap of honour after the match, but many fans showed their appreciation for his efforts during the season, a notable contrast to the hostile reception he received before. Napoli
On 27 May 2013, it was announced that <mask> had signed for Napoli, whose manager Walter Mazzarri had resigned. Benítez agreed a two-year contract after meeting club president Aurelio De Laurentiis in London. In his first season in charge, <mask> guided the club to victory in the Coppa Italia, defeating Fiorentina 3–1 in the final, and into the last 16 of the Europa League, exiting after a 3–2 aggregate defeat to Porto. Napoli finished third in Serie A in 2013–14 to qualify for the next season's Champions League. They lost 4–2 on aggregate to Athletic Bilbao in the qualifying stages, thus entering the Europa League.<mask> announced that he would resign at the end of the 2014–15 season. His final match was a 4–2 defeat to Lazio, who took the final place in the Champions League at Napoli's expense. Real Madrid

On 3 June 2015, <mask> was confirmed as the new Real Madrid manager, signing a three-year contract. Real Madrid remained unbeaten in the league until a 3–2 loss at Sevilla in the 11th matchday. This was followed by a 4–0 home loss in the first Clásico of the season against Barcelona. Real later played Cádiz in the Copa del Rey Round of 32, winning away 3–1 in the first leg. However, they fielded an ineligible player in Denis Cheryshev as he was suspended for that match, resulting in the second leg being cancelled and Madrid being disqualified.Meanwhile, Real topped their UEFA Champions League group with 16 points. On 4 January 2016, <mask>'s contract was terminated following allegations of unpopularity with supporters, displeasure with players and a failure to get good results against top sides. At the time of his dismissal, Real were third in La Liga, four points behind leaders Atlético Madrid and two points behind arch-rivals Barcelona, the latter of whom had a game in hand. Newcastle United
On 11 March 2016, <mask> was appointed as the manager of relegation threatened Newcastle United, signing on an initial three-year deal. He suffered defeat in his first match in charge, losing 1–0 away to eventual champions Leicester City on 14 March. <mask> would have to wait until 16 April for his first win in charge of The Magpies, recording a convincing 3–0 victory over Swansea City in the Premier League. Newcastle ended the season with a six match unbeaten run, including a 5–1 final day win over third-place Tottenham Hotspur.However, the team was relegated to the Championship due to rivals Sunderland claiming 12 points from their final six fixtures. On 25 May 2016, it was confirmed he would remain as manager. In May 2017, Newcastle won the 2016–17 EFL Championship and made an immediate return to the Premier League after one season in the Championship. On 24 June 2019, Newcastle announced that <mask> would step down as Manager upon the expiration of his contract, and he departed the club on 30 June 2019. Ashley criticised Benítez following his departure, stating that Benítez's demands made it impossible for him to remain as manager. However, in an interview with The Athletic in December 2020, <mask> stated he was left no choice but to leave the role due to disagreements with Ashley, describing him as "a businessman who I don’t believe really cares about his team." Dalian Professional
On 2 July 2019, Benítez was appointed manager of Chinese Super League side Dalian Professional (formerly Dalian Yifang), signing a two-and-a-half-year deal.On 23 January 2021, Benítez left the club by mutual consent, citing concerns over the health and wellbeing of his family due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for his departure. Everton

<mask> was appointed manager of Premier League club Everton on a three-year contract on 30 June 2021, replacing Carlo Ancelotti who left to join Real Madrid. Before signing the contract, he was a subject to threats from a group of Everton supporters who opposed his appointment and who left a banner near his home, reading "We know where you live. Don't sign." Benitez is only the second person to manage both Liverpool and Everton, since William Edward Barclay in 1890s. Under Benitez Everton enjoyed a winning streak across the Premier League and EFL Cup in their first four games. He won his first league game in charge, beating Southampton 3–1.This win was followed up with a 2–2 draw at Leeds United, a 2–1 win at Huddersfield in the EFL Cup and a 2–0 win against Brighton in the Premier League. Due to this unbeaten run, Benitez was nominated for the Manager of the Month award. Everton's form declined in the following months, and after a 2–1 defeat to bottom-placed Norwich City at Carrow Road, Benitez was relieved of his duties on 16 January 2022 after six-and-a-half months in charge, with Everton in 15th place, six points above the relegation zone, having lost nine of their previous 13 games. With his sacking, Benitez became the fifth Everton manager to lose his job in the previous six years. Relations with other managers

Benítez has had confrontations with both José Mourinho (Chelsea manager from 2004 to 2007) and Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson during his time in English football. Benítez made a number of suggestions during Mourinho's tenure as manager that Roman Abramovich's money had bought Chelsea's success, and the pair refused to shake hands after some matches (although Mourinho declared the feud to be over after a league game in 2006). When Mourinho exited Chelsea in 2007, Benítez said, "You know my relationship with him, it is better that I do not say anything", declining to comment as Ferguson and Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger had.On 9 January 2009, Benítez delivered a controversial appraisal of certain aspects of Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure, accusing Ferguson and Manchester United of being nervous because Liverpool were at the top of the league, then accused the Manchester United manager of not being punished for breaking FA rules, suggesting he was "the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things", referring to Ferguson not being punished following an FA charge for comments he made about officials Martin Atkinson and Keith Hackett following an FA Cup tie with Portsmouth. In his 2013 autobiography, Ferguson said that "Benitez bought badly and made the feud personal". <mask> has also had confrontations with Sam Allardyce when he was manager of Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers. When Allardyce was manager of Newcastle, he suggested Benítez would have been dismissed had Liverpool's European form been as bad as their league form. In a match in April 2009 when Allardyce was manager of Blackburn, he accused Benítez of arrogance over a gesture he made when Fernando Torres scored Liverpool's second goal. Allardyce suggested that Benítez had signalled the game was over despite Liverpool only having a two-goal lead. This view was later supported by Sir Alex Ferguson.<mask>, however, later explained this gesture: he said he had previously told Xabi Alonso to take a short free-kick. This instruction was ignored, which resulted in a goal. Benítez said that he had jokingly signalled to Alonso to ignore his instructions and not that he thought the game was effectively over. Management style

Benítez has developed a reputation in English football as a hard man to please, with former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitting he longed for a "well done" from Benítez after good performances. Benítez's ruthlessness can also be seen in the way he disposed of all but Gerrard and Jamie Carragher from his Champions League winning squad within four seasons, with penalty shoot-out hero Jerzy Dudek made back-up goalkeeper the very season after the European triumph. Benítez's preferred formation is a 4–2–3–1 which he adopted during his time at Valencia and Liverpool. He was highly regarded for his tactical acumen particularly in European ties, setting his team up to exploit opposition weaknesses.His calm demeanour and tactical changes at half time of the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final were said to give players belief they could battle back from 3–0 down, although he had to correct his plans when it was pointed out to him his new formation would require 12 players on the pitch. Benítez often plays key players in unorthodox positions to suit a formation – notably converting both Steven Gerrard (in the 2005–06 season) and Dirk Kuyt into right-wingers. As a right winger/midfielder, Steven Gerrard had the most productive seasons winning wise, claiming a Champions League title, and an FA Cup. <mask> is a firm believer in squad rotation and zonal marking. Despite heavy criticism from the English press Benítez persisted with the reward of a Champions League and FA Cup triumph in his first two seasons. Benítez argued he needed to rotate his small squad to ensure key players were fit for the latter stages of these knockout competitions. The tactic of zonal marking has been criticised by pundits when Liverpool concede from set-pieces in spite of the fact that Benítez's squads are usually renowned for their defensive nature and low number of goals scored against them.Benítez stands by his tactic, pointing out that teams who man-mark concede just as many, if not more, goals from set pieces. Benítez instigated a host of backroom changes at the end of the 2008–09 season to improve the club's youth development, including the appointment of club legend Kenny Dalglish in a senior role at the academy. Personal life
Benítez's father, Francisco, worked as a hotelier. His mother is Rosario Maudes. Rosario is a big football fan and supported Real Madrid, while his father supported Atlético Madrid. Francisco died in December 2005 while Benítez was in Japan for the FIFA Club World Championship. <mask> married Maria Montserrat in 1998.They have two daughters, Claudia, who was born in Madrid in 1999, and Ágata who was born in Valencia in 2002. Benítez is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian. managers
Inter Milan managers
Chelsea F.C. managers
S.S.C. Napoli managers
Real Madrid CF managers
Newcastle United F.C. managers
Dalian Professional F.C. managers
Everton F.C.managers
La Liga managers
Segunda División managers
Premier League managers
Serie A managers
English Football League managers
Chinese Super League managers
UEFA Cup winning managers
UEFA Champions League winning managers
UEFA Europa League winning managers
FA Cup winning managers
Spanish expatriate football managers
Expatriate football managers in England
Expatriate football managers in Italy
Expatriate football managers in China
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in China
Polytechnic University of Madrid alumni
Association football

masks:
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
Benítez
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Benítez
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Rafael Benítez


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<mask> (December 12, 1894 – July 4, 1958) was a Mexican film director, considered a pioneer in the film industry worldwide. He is perhaps best known for directing the films El prisionero trece, El compadre Mendoza, and Vámonos con Pancho Villa, all part of his Revolution Trilogy on the Mexican Revolution. Biography

Early life and education
Born in Veracruz; Mexico on December 13, 1894, son of <mask> and <mask>. He studied Philosophy at Tulane University in New Orleans. Career
On his return to Mexico he worked as executive assistant of Venustiano Carranza during the Mexican Revolution. After his marriage in 1919, he moved to Washington D.C., and worked at the Mexican Embassy. Back in Mexico, he wrote poetry and undertook journalism as a hobby, and worked in the Film Industry  in exhibition.In 1932 he made his first film, “El Anónimo”, and in the same year “Una Vida por Otra”, in 1933 “El prisionero trece”, “La calandria”, “El Tigre de Yautepec” and “El compadre Mendoza”, considered one of his masterpieces, in the Mexican Revolution Trilogy, (“El Compadre Mendoza”, “Vámonos con Pancho Villa” and “El prisionero trece”). In 1934 he directed “El Fantasma del Convento”, and “Cruz Diablo”. In 1935 he made “Vámonos Pancho Villa”, and “La Familia Dressel”, in 1936 “Las Mujeres Mandan” and one of the greatest hits in the history of the Mexican cinema, “Alla en el Rancho Grande” - a film that developed a complete new genre the “comedia ranchera”, with this film he was awarded the “Medalla al Mérito Cinematográfico” by the Mexican President General Lázaro <mask>. This film also won first place at the “Venice Film Festival” in 1938. It was the first International award won by a Mexican film. Described as "the Mexican John Ford" (New York Times), <mask> Fuentes was by far the most talented filmmaker of early Mexican sound cinema. This tragic trilogy set during the Mexican Revolution was possibly his greatest achievement.Prisoner 13 (1933, 76 mins.) concerns a son who pays for his father's faults and a desperate mother who tries at all costs to save her son's life. El Compadre Mendoza (1933, 85 mins.) examines the corrupted ideals of the Revolution by way of an opportunistic landowner, who must choose between remaining loyal to a general in Zapata's army (and facing financial ruin) or saving his own skin. Lastly, Fuentes' sweeping epic Let's Go with Pancho Villa (1936, 92 mins.) follows the adventures of six young men who leave their rural homes to join Pancho Villa's army, enduring hardship, loss, and disillusionment over the Revolution in the process. Shot by Gabriel Figueroa (The Fugitive), one of the world's most gifted black and white cinematographers.His filmography covers almost all the different genres from drama, comedy, horror, family, historical, to classics and documentaries. Marriage and children
<mask> married in 1919, Magdalena Reyes Moran in San Antonio Texas. They had two children, Magdalena and <mask>. Death
<mask> <mask> Villa (1936)
Las mujeres mandan (1937)
Bajo el cielo de México (1937)
La Zandunga (1938)
La casa del ogro (1939)
Papacito lindo (1939)
Allá en el trópico (1940)
El jefe máximo (1940)
Creo en Dios (1941)
La gallina clueca (1941)
¡Así se quiere en Jalisco! (1942)
Doña Bárbara (1943)
La mujer sin alma (1944)
El Rey se divierte (1944)
Hasta que perdió Jalisco (1945)
La selva de fuego (1945)
Esperanza (1946)
La devoradora (1946)
Allá en el Rancho Grande (1949)
Jalisco Sings in Seville (1949)
Hipólito, el de Santa (1950)
Por la puerta falsa (1950)
Crimen y castigo (1951)
Los hijos de María Morales (1952)
Canción de cuna (1953)
Tres citas con el destino (1954)

Producer
La familia Dressel (1935)
Petróleo (1936)
Allá en el Rancho Grande (1936)
La casa del ogro (1939)
Papacito lindo (1939)
Allá en el trópico (1940)
El jefe máximo (1940)
Creo en Dios (1941)
¡Así se quiere en Jalisco! (1958)
Amor se dice cantando (1959)
Farewell to Marriage (1968)

Writer
Una vida por otra (1932)
El anónimo (1933)
La llorona (1933)
El prisionero trece (1933)
La calandria (1933) (guionista y dialogo)
El tigre de Yautepec (1933)
El compadre Mendoza (1934) (guionista)
El fantasma del convento (1934)
Cruz Diablo (1934)
La familia Dressel (1935)
Petróleo (1936)
Allá en el Rancho Grande (1936) (guionista)
Vámonos con Pancho Villa (1936) (adaptation)
Las mujeres mandan (1937)Bajo el cielo de México (1937)La zandunga (1938) (guionista y dialogo)La casa del ogro (1939)Allá en el trópico (1940)El jefe máximo (1940)Creo en Dios (1941)La gallina clueca (1941)¡Así se quiere en Jalisco!A World History of Film Abrams, 1993. Ephraim Katz, Ronald Dean Nolen. The Film Encyclopedia. 6th edition. HarperCollins, 2008. p. 363.<mask> <mask>''. Ed. Emilio García Riera.Cineteca Nacional, 1984. External links

1894 births
1958 deaths
Mexican film directors
Golden Ariel Award winners
People from Veracruz (city)
Tulane University alumni

masks:
Fernando de Fuentes Carrau
Fernando de Fuentes
Emelina Carrau de Fuentes
Cárdenas
Fernando de
De Fuentes
Fernando
Fernando de
Fuentescho
Fernando de
Fuentes