Rafa Benitez arrived at Anfield as successor to Gerard Houllier in the summer of 2004.

Four years into his reign and he's already well on the way to being regarded as one of the club's greatest ever managers after leading the Reds to two major trophies in his first two seasons - an achievement unmatched by any of his predecessors.

The Spaniard was born in Madrid in April 1960. His playing days were spent largely in the Spanish lower leagues, though he did enjoy a spell at the mighty Real. Unfortunately, he never made a senior appearance for his home-town club.

Coaching was always a big attraction for Benitez and he took control of Real Madrid's youth team in 1986.

His managerial career proper began at Valladolid in 1995. Stints at Osasuna, Extremadura and Tenerife followed before a remarkable success story with Valencia.

In just three years at the Mestalla, Benitez managed to break the stranglehold Real Madrid and Barcelona had on Spanish football, winning two La Liga titles and a UEFA Cup to boot.

How do you follow this? Well, you become the first Spaniard to manage in the English top flight and win the Champions League within a year.

The dramatic victory over AC Milan in Istanbul was followed three months later by the UEFA Super Cup.

Benitez's second season on Merseyside saw the Anfield trophy room welcome another FA Cup, this time after a penalty shoot-out victory over West Ham in Cardiff.

He reaffirmed his commitment to the Reds by signing a new four-year deal in June 2006 despite widely publicised interest from abroad.

Benitez again led the club to the Champions League final in May 2007, though this time it was Milan who prevailed.