A Season on the Brink: A Portrait of Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool – Fully Updated 20th Anniversary Edition
Guillem Balague
May 2025 · Seven Dials · Narrated by Dylan Gross and Paul Ansdell
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9 hr 24 min
Unabridged
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'ENTHRALLING' FourFourTwo
'STIRRING' Dublin Herald
'FASCINATING' Red and White Kop
'ASTONISHING' Bleacher Report
The Sunday Times Bestseller
Twentieth anniversary edition, fully updated with a new foreword from Rafael Benitez
When Rafael Benitez was appointed manager of under-achieving Liverpool at the start of the 2004-05 season, the reaction of many fans was 'Who the **** is Rafael Benitez?'. After a wonderful spell at Valencia, the Spaniard arrived to take over Liverpool's famous Boot Room, determined to change the club's fortunes and win over a disillusioned Kop.
In just one season, Benitez's importation of Spanish players, coaching methods and diet led to a revolution, usurping José Mourinho's Chelsea to reach the European Champions League final in Istanbul. It was a match that would go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.
At half-time, Liverpool were 3-0 down to Carlo Ancelotti's AC Milan, a team many regarded as the best in the world, filled with stars such as Paolo Maldini, Kaká and Andrea Pirlo. However, against all the odds, Liverpool produced a stunning comeback, with goals from club captain Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Šmicer and Xabi Alonso, before a dramatic penalty shoot-out saw the Reds clinch European glory.
Featuring exclusive interviews with Benitez himself, assistant manager Pako Ayestarán and key first-team players, this is the behind-the-scenes story of Rafa's remarkable success with Liverpool.
'STIRRING' Dublin Herald
'FASCINATING' Red and White Kop
'ASTONISHING' Bleacher Report
The Sunday Times Bestseller
Twentieth anniversary edition, fully updated with a new foreword from Rafael Benitez
When Rafael Benitez was appointed manager of under-achieving Liverpool at the start of the 2004-05 season, the reaction of many fans was 'Who the **** is Rafael Benitez?'. After a wonderful spell at Valencia, the Spaniard arrived to take over Liverpool's famous Boot Room, determined to change the club's fortunes and win over a disillusioned Kop.
In just one season, Benitez's importation of Spanish players, coaching methods and diet led to a revolution, usurping José Mourinho's Chelsea to reach the European Champions League final in Istanbul. It was a match that would go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.
At half-time, Liverpool were 3-0 down to Carlo Ancelotti's AC Milan, a team many regarded as the best in the world, filled with stars such as Paolo Maldini, Kaká and Andrea Pirlo. However, against all the odds, Liverpool produced a stunning comeback, with goals from club captain Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Šmicer and Xabi Alonso, before a dramatic penalty shoot-out saw the Reds clinch European glory.
Featuring exclusive interviews with Benitez himself, assistant manager Pako Ayestarán and key first-team players, this is the behind-the-scenes story of Rafa's remarkable success with Liverpool.
About the author
Guillem Balagué is an award-winning football author, journalist and presenter who works for BBC TV, BBC Radio 5 Live, ITV, LaLiga TV and the American network CBS. His books include A Season on the Brink: A Portrait of Rafael Benitez's Liverpool; Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning; Messi: The Definitive Biography; Cristiano Ronaldo: The Biography which won the Football Book of the Year Award at the British Sports Book Awards and the Best Football Book of 2016 in Poland; Brave New World: Inside Pochettino's Spurs and Maradona: The Boy, The Rebel, The God. All of Guillem's books have been Sunday Times bestsellers in the UK, and each has been shortlisted for various category awards. He is also chairman of Biggleswade United.
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