Rafael BenÃtez was adored by fans during his spell with the club. He was a man that was seen as a symbol of hope. Hope that one day, Newcastle United could one day reach its enormous potential and look to be more than just a side aiming for 17th place every season.
As such, his departure in the summer of 2019 was met with devastation on Tyneside and the incredibly underwhelming appointment of Steve Bruce in the following weeks was just another kick to the Newcastle fans.
Replacing a man with almost every trophy available on his CV for a man who had recently led the most expensively assembled Championship squad to mid table sums up everything that is wrong with this football club.
Steve Bruce has shown himself to be absolutely happy with just keeping the club in the division whereas you could tell how much this frustrated Rafa. This is why the Spaniard is adored so much on Tyneside, he truly wanted to take the club further.
He stayed after a relegation masterminded by the hopeless Steve McClaren and not only took United straight back where they belonged but managed a 10th place finish in our first season back and then managed to improve on that points tally in his last season with the club.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Benitez put on record his desire to get back into the game and he name dropped the Premier League as one of his preferred destinations.
Most interestingly, his comments about his former club Newcastle United will have got people talking. The former Toon boss said that he still watches every game in a supportive role and is even still in contact with some players within the squad.
A return to Tyneside is surely impossible whilst Mike Ashley is still in town with neither party being particularly keen on the other but with Ashley set to fight the Premier League in court and force through a takeover, there is not many managers on the planet that Toon fans would rather be the face of the new era than Rafa Benitez.