Benitez snubs Cristiano Ronaldo as he names the best player he's ever coached

Rafa Benitez has named Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard the greatest player he ever worked with - not Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Spanish boss enjoyed a stellar career, coaching in Spain, England, Italy and China, and managed some big names to titles in the process - his crowning glory, however, was a stellar six-year spell in charge of the Reds.

No name was bigger than Ronaldo, whom Benitez joined at Real Madrid for a single season in 2015. The 64-year-old's time at the Bernabeu was mediocre at best and he was sacked the following January following claims he had lost both the fans and the dressing room.

Despite having managed a player of the Portuguese legend's stature, the Spaniard has honoured Gerrard as the best he's had the pleasure of managing.

“Steven [Gerrard] is the best player I have ever coached," Benitez said on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. "In Madrid, I couldn’t say that, but now I can! It was very clear he had everything.

"What he was missing was the tactical knowledge that a foreign player has because they play in this position. He was so good, and he had so much energy. He would get into the box, go as a fullback and do whatever he wanted to do. But he needed to understand the position."

Benitez undoubtedly enjoyed his best managerial spell at Anfield. It began in 2004 when he convinced club skipper Gerrard not to make his infamous near-switch to Chelsea.

The following season, he led the Reds to a Champions League final and 'the miracle of Istanbul,' where he won his first trophy for the club, arguably reaching the pinnacle of European club football. A year later, he hoisted the FA Cup aloft.

Though it ended with a disappointing seventh-place finish and a split via mutual consent in 2010, Benitez will be remembered for his time with the Reds - more so than with Los Blancos - and the crucial purchasing of Spanish imports Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres.

“With [Xabi] Alonso, he could be fine, but he wasn’t the quickest. So, we had a gap when Steve was going, which was a problem. I didn’t know his best position exactly," he added.

"I put Stevie on the right against Chelsea. When Capello came, Stevie told me we would win something with this manager because he was very strict. They put him on the left and then the right, and he has the freedom to go inside and create problems.

"Therefore, it was difficult to find a place. Gerrard was so good technically and could pass the ball with pace. Torres, especially, was fast and could receive the ball immediately. Then we just find the balance.”

After leaving Liverpool, Benitez succeeded Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan for a single season before returning to the UK with Chelsea, where he won the Europa League in 2013 as interim boss.

A spell at Napoli followed before his move to the Spanish capital, and mere months after being dismissed by Real Madrid, Benitez signed for relegation-scrapping Newcastle.

Benitez brought the Magpies back from the Championship, winning the title in 2017, and left two years later after his contract expired. Spells in China and a controversial period at Everton came next, and the Spaniard now finds himself without a job after leaving Celta Vigo in March.