Rafael Benítez's tenure as Managing of Newcastle United began on 11 March 2016, succeeding Steve McClaren, ending 17 July 2019.
| Managing of Rafael Benitez | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reports to | Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley | ||||||||
| Appointer | NUFC Owner and Lee Charnley | ||||||||
| Term length | 4 years | ||||||||
| Formation | 11 March 2016 | ||||||||
| Abolished | 17 July 2019 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
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On 11 March 2016, Benítez was appointed manager of relegation threatened Newcastle United, signing on an initial three-year deal. He suffered defeat in his first match in charge, losing 1–0 away to eventual champions Leicester City on 14 March. Benítez would have to wait until 16 April for his first win in charge of The Magpies, recording a convincing 3–0 victory over Swansea City in the Premier League.
Games edit
Newcastle ended the season with a six match unbeaten run, including a 5–1 final day win over third-place Tottenham Hotspur. However, the team was relegated to the Championship due to rivals Sunderland claiming 12 points from their final six fixtures. On 25 May 2016, it was confirmed that Benítez would remain as manager.
In May 2017, Newcastle achieved promotion, and made an immediate return to the Premier League, after one season in the Championship.
Departure and reason leaving NUFC edit
On 24 June 2019, Newcastle announced that Benítez would step down as manager upon the expiration of his contract, and he departed the club on 30 June 2019. Mike Ashley criticised Benítez following his departure, stating that Benítez's demands made it impossible for him to remain in charge. However, in an interview with The Athletic in December 2020, Benítez stated he was left no choice but to leave the role, due to disagreements with Ashley, describing him as "a businessman who I don't believe really cares about his team."