Rafa Benítez bounds into the hotel bar with a jaunty smile, a firm handshake and the air of a man wholly at ease with the world. The sun is shining on the Galician coast, the bar overlooks the idyllic Ría de Vigo estuary, all rocky coves and hidden beaches. He insists you try the local octopus delicacy.
This is what life looks like for a 63-year-old itinerant super-coach who is one game from the sack, according to the local paper that morning. Benítez’s Celta Vigo play bottom-of-the-table Almería on Friday. It’s a must-win game, the paper says.
