A Happy Birthday message to Newcastle United’s Rafa Benitez
On his 58th birthday, we wish a Happy Birthday to our beloved Newcastle United manager, Rafa Benitez.
Today is Rafa Benitez’s 58th birthday. We felt obligated to write a heartfelt birthday message to the man that’s guided Newcastle United to safety this season.
Dearest Rafa,
First off, Happy Birthday! While you’ve given us the present of Premier League safety, our gift to you is our admiration and endless love. When you arrived at the club in 2016, things weren’t very good. We were doomed to relegation and once that was officially confirmed, we were terrified you would leave us. But, you decided to stay and guide us through a season in the Championship, something well beneath a manager of your class. In your first campaign in the lower division, you pushed Newcastle United to not only automatic promotion, but also a title.
Then, you endured another frustrating summer at St. James’ Park. You were promised funds from Mike Ashley and to nobody’s surprise, didn’t get the full amount. At that point, you could’ve decided to leave. Instead, you put your head down and worked hard for the players at your disposal. The season didn’t start off well, but we were confident we could survive, mostly because we had you. The takeover talks intensified and we were excited for you that Ashley’s reign could be ending. But, it didn’t. There was the fear you could depart after it was confirmed the stingy owner would stay. Instead, you led us through a hectic January transfer window and brought in impact players like Martin Dubravka and Kenedy.
Since then, we’ve been playing great. The players respond to you and you’ve urged them forward towards Premier League safety. We’ve won four straight matches, including two over Leicester City and Arsenal. While it’s not officially complete, the mission to avoid relegation is nearing success. The pundits and soccer supporters can’t say enough positive things about the job you’ve done and we agree. With a squad of some Championship level players and a lot of youth, you navigated this season brilliantly.
For that and so much more, we say Happy Birthday, Rafa! We are overjoyed to have such a caring, calculated, complete manager at Newcastle United. While the summer will surely hold challenges, we know you will do your job and put us in the best position to succeed next season.