Benitez's wife: Rafa spends his time clearing Mourinho's mess

Rafael Benitez's wife has joked that his career has been spent at clubs where he has had to clear up the mess Jose Mourinho has left.

Benitez has followed Mourinho into the hot seat at Inter, Chelsea and now Real Madrid - although only at Inter did he succeed him directly.

Speaking to La Region, Monserrat Seara said: "Real Madrid are the third of Jose Mourinho's old teams Rafa has coached. "We tidy up his messes. If you think about it, of course you end up crossing paths. There are only a few world-class clubs out there."

Seara also gave an insight into one of the dedicated and disciplined managerial minds in football. "On our first date, Rafa explained to me what a 4-4-2 was. He finds it hard to stay away from the game," she said.

"The year we spent at home he helped coach the local school team. It was hilarious. He stood on the sidelines and shouted at them as if they were first division players, waving his arms about. He doesn't see football as work, it's his passion.

"Sometimes I ask him, who's going to play? He says he doesn't know yet. They criticised him at Liverpool for constantly tweaking his starting XI. I thought his two best friends in England were going to kill him."

Benitez is the new manager of Real Madrid after replacing Italian Carlo Ancelotti who won the Champions League and Copa Del Rey in 2014.