Rafa Benitez is finally in the place he always wanted to be. There's been some ups and downs in his managerial career but now he's home, and this time he has the top job. The managerial hotseat at Real Madrid is a poisoned chalice and Benitez could well be the perfect man for the job but he more than likely won't be there in two years time.
That's the nature of the beast, it's the toughest job in football and one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is the media coverage in the Spanish capital. Although Benitez will be well used to the influence of the media from his time in England, things can be even more hostile in Madrid.
The coverage from the likes of Marca is constant and even before he has gotten comfortable in his new surroundings, the cutting analysis is beginning. First up on the slab is his transfer record and there's one name on Marca's mind.
It's fair to say Marca are not too complimentary about the Dubliner's ill-fated spell at Anfield.
It's not all been a long list of perfect signings for Benítez. There has also been the odd hiccup along the road to success.
However, luckily for the Spaniard, when he has made a mistake, it hasn't been when too much money was spent, except maybe with the case of Robbie Keane. Liverpool forked out €25 million for the player and in the second year he was lent out to Tottenham. He never came back.
For all his big transfers, Spurs to Liverpool was the big one for Robbie Keane. He was at the height of his powers after an impressive season alongside Dimitar Berbatov and it looked like he could be the perfect foil for Fernando Torres. The only problem was, it soon became clear Benitez never really wanted him.
Keane came in, complete with £20 million price tag, and looked like a spare part. Brief glimpses of his talent weren't enough and the entire affair was over before it started. He headed back to Spurs after half a season and the terrible jokes about 'his dream to play for them' began in earnest.
Keane as a second striker would have been perfect. The only problem was Benitez's teams play with one striker and that position was already filled with Torres. It's too simplistic to say that Keane was a 'big blunder', the Dubliner was just an expensive square peg for a round hole.
Having said that, Marca's analysis of Benitez's transfer record doesn't matter anyway considering he won't actually have any say in Madrid's transfer policy.
