Rafa Benitez Nickname Emerges as Real Madrid Stars Reportedly Mock Manager

Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez didn’t emerge from Saturday’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Barcelona as the most popular man in the Spanish capital, and it seems the players share the fans’ revulsion for the man in charge and have branded him with an ironic nickname.

According to Marca, the dressing room refers to Benitez as "No. 10"—digging at the fact he never played football at the highest level yet tries to give lessons to Real’s talented pool of players.

Such lessons are apparently futile too, as Marca reported squad members don’t actually understand his advice, which apparently has no relation to the team’s tactics.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

There was a distinct lack of tactical nous on show during El Clasico, when Barca outwitted and outplayed the lacklustre Madrid.

With that in mind, Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague believes club president Florentino Perez will soon axe the out-of-favour Benitez:

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There is no way whatsoever that this kind of performance—we're not even talking about the result—will have no consequences. It has to have consequences. That's how Real Madrid works. That means of course that Florentino Perez will probably get rid of the manager. Of course, Rafa is not the only one to blame, but it's almost much easier to get rid of the manager.

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Marca wrote Benitez has never managed to connect with the dressing room since his appointment in the summer and that only a “handful” of players remain behind the former Liverpool boss.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Plus, it was clear from Saturday’s defeat Benitez has caved into the overwhelming pressure to attack surrounding the club and is no longer making his own decisions.

The lineup fielded against Barcelona was littered with stars, sure, but it had absolutely no substance.

Benitez recently praised anchor Casemiro for giving his side balance, per FourFourTwo, yet still left him out against Barca and went on to see his side comprehensively overrun in midfield—a far cry from the solid and well-organised Benitez teams to which we’ve become accustomed.

Carlo Ancelotti’s seemingly irrational sacking left Real Madrid under a cloud when Benitez took over, and it’s one he hasn’t been able to emerge from.

Losing the dressing room is one thing as a manager, but losing yourself is another. Replacing Benitez in the middle of the season is far from ideal for Real, but it’s difficult to see them getting on the road to redemption any other way.