To mark the fifth anniversary of his Anfield arrival Liverpoolfc.tv pays tribute to our favourite Spaniard and his Rafa-lution.
He is our Spanish messiah, a genial tactician who restored our reputation as one of Europe's biggest clubs and led us to one of the greatest triumphs in our history.
To say his legend can be summed up in six minutes would be to belittle his other achievements, but those few precious moments that followed half-time on Wednesday, May 25, 2005, were undoubtedly the most important of his five year reign.
The Reds somehow mustered all their inner strength to claw back a 3-0 interval deficit before going on to secure 'Old Big Ears' on penalties as we catapulted the nostalgic tales of the glory of yesteryear right into the present.
Thanks to Rafa the trophy is now 'ours for keeps' but while some of the game's greatest coaches can only dream of achieving such success once in their career, it would not be the last time he would lead the Reds out for a Champions League final.
Even the late, great Bill Shankly took time to establish Liverpool as a force, but Benitez made an almost immediate impact, shrugging off the disappointment of a fifth place finish in the league to defy the odds and lead the Reds to a fifth European Cup success in a dramatic climax to his debut season.
A rollercoaster 2004-05 campaign began with a crash course in English and the news that the club's top marksman Michael Owen was on the brink of a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
It was a difficult start and one that would set the tone for much of the season.
The Group Stage of the Champions League would provide a microcosm of the campaign, with disappointing displays away to Monaco and Olympiakos juxtaposed by impressive home triumphs - the victory against the latter proving to be one of the defining games of our campaign.
In fact, Europe would provide a wonderful respite from the Premier League struggle, as every frustrating away day defeat against the likes of Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Birmingham City would be followed by a transformation in spirit and desire in knockout matches with Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Chelsea.
The '05 semi-final second-leg at Anfield is one of the greatest nights the red half of Merseyside has ever witnessed and was the start of a run of results in the last four of cup competitions that would see Rafa tactically outwit the self-styled 'Special One' Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea may well have clinched a 3-2 aet victory over Liverpool in the Carling Cup final, but there was no doubting which was most important.
A wave of optimism carried Liverpool into Rafa's second season and although the Reds secured a Super Cup win over CSKA Moscow a fixture pile-up as a result of Champions League qualifiers and poor Premiership performances saw them struggle early on.
A run of one defeat in 18 matches, in which they set a new club record of 11 consecutive clean sheets, got the Reds back on track. A third placed finish saw us set our highest points tally since the inauguration of the Premier League and was topped off by yet another cup final appearance.
This time it was in the FA Cup as the road to Cardiff was paved by a 1-0 success over Manchester United, an emphatic 7-0 mauling of Birmingham City at St Andrews and a 2-1 semi-final win over... yes, you've guessed it, Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.
Many felt Liverpool had done the hard work in the 2-1 triumph over Chelsea but, in an action-packed first-half at the Millennium Stadium, West Ham surged into a 2-0 lead.
Djibril Cisse reduced the arrears with a flying volley before
Steven Gerrard took over with a performance even more staggering than the one he produced in Istanbul.
The skipper hammered home a magnificent equaliser on 54 minutes and just as it looked like Liverpool were dead and buried after Paul Konchesky's cross flew straight in, he did it again, with an incredible 30-yard thunderbolt in the 90th minute.
The Reds would again prevail on penalties to claim a third trophy under Rafa in just two seasons.
The Spaniard had certainly shown he had the midas touch; following on from his success at Valencia where he had a developed a reputation as one of Europe's finest coaches.
In his last season at the Mastella he led Los Che to an unprecedented La Liga and Uefa Cup double, frustrating the duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid and asserting a managerial authority that exuded charisma and tactical brilliance.
His arrival provided a real coup for Liverpool and the ensuing success he achieved in just two years at the club had already secured his status as one of our greatest ever managers.
Success breeds expectation and while many grew frustrated by his penchant for rotation, the reward of a second Champions League final in just three seasons in 06-07 was further evidence the Reds were now a force to be reckoned with.
It would be a campaign that would mirror his first, with the frustration of yet another disappointing start on the domestic scene a stark contrast to the confident swagger the side had begun to display in the Champions League.
The first away victory in the league did not arrive until December's visit to Wigan Athletic although progress in Europe had been achieved with consummate ease in a group comprising Bordeaux, PSV and Galatasaray.
European Champions Barcelona stood in the way in the knockout stage, but Rafa had outfoxed them during his time in La Liga, and he would do it again; masterminding a sensational 2-1 success in the Nou Camp. A 1-0 reversal at Anfield in a game the Reds dominated and missed a whole host of chances could not dull the elation of defeating one of the continent's finest sides.
Another meeting with PSV in the quarter-finals gave the Reds a favourable draw and they eased to a 4-0 aggregate win before they met Chelsea for the third time in three seasons.
The Blues won the first-leg 1-0 to set up a repeat of the 2005 deciding clash at Anfield. Roared on by a passionate Anfield crowd, Liverpool did it again, this time courtesy of a
Daniel Agger goal and what was now the obligatory penalty shoot-out.
Remarkably, the final in Athens would be another repeat with AC Milan seeking revenge for 2005.
Liverpool would suffer an unfortunate 2-1 defeat in the Olympic Stadium, with
Dirk Kuyt's late goal not enough to save the Reds after Filippo Inzaghi struck a brace against the run of play.
By this time there had been a wind of change at Anfield, a shift in the ownership of the club that promised progression.
The arrival of
Fernando Torres for a record fee was a firm statement of intent and with his strongest group of players since taking charge, Benitez made his best ever start in the Barclays Premier League.
The Reds marched to a run of 14 league matches unbeaten but a series of disappointing draws, and a surprising struggle to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage would hinder their trophy hopes.
A shock FA Cup defeat at home to Barnsley would prove the turning point, with the Reds going on to finish the season with a flourish.
In the last 16 of the Champions League runaway Italian champions Inter Milan swaggered into town and were blown away by a combination of Anfield's 12th man and late goals from
Dirk Kuyt and
Steven Gerrard.
A solitary strike from
Fernando Torres in the second-leg at the San Siro claimed a famous 3-0 aggregate win to set-up a mouthwatering all-English quarter-final with Arsenal.
The Reds battled to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates before another incredible European night in L4 saw us see off Arsene Wenger's men with a 4-2 triumph.
Chelsea were once again awaiting the winners in the last four and it all looked to be going Liverpool's way when Kuyt opened the scoring in the first-leg at Anfield.
The home side dominated throughout and could well have doubled their tally before John Arne Riise's stoppage time own goal turned the tie in Chelsea's favour.
A 3-2 extra-time defeat in London would end our hopes of reaching Moscow, while a fourth place finish in the league saw us conclude the campaign 11 points off top spot.
Despite the disappointment of a second season without a trophy, hopes were high as 08-09 got underway.
However, injuries to
Steven Gerrard and
Fernando Torres, a partnership that had terrorised defences home and abroad, would ultimately cost the Reds the title in a season that saw the team lose just two Barclays Premier League matches.
Highlights would include league doubles over both Manchester United and Chelsea, with the 4-1 mauling of Alex Ferguson's men at Old Trafford a particularly sweet moment for fans, players and coaching staff alike.
In the Champions League it would be Chelsea that once again ended our hopes. A 5-0 aggregate success over Real Madrid had set-up a quarter-final with the Blues and it looked like going to plan when
Fernando Torres opened the scoring in the fourth minute.
But a surprisingly disjointed display - one of most disappointing of the season - saw the Blues take control and they eventually romped to a 3-1 success.
A miracle similar to that of Istanbul was required, but if there was one team capable of pulling it off, it was Liverpool.
A fairytale first period at Stamford Bridge gave the travelling Kop hope as
Fabio Aurelio and
Xabi Alonso levelled it up on aggregate.
But a mistake by
Pepe Reina let the Blues back into it and a see-saw second 45 ended 4-4 after one of the matches of the season.
At this point the race for the title was still very much on until another epic 4-4 draw, this time with an Andrey Arshavin inspired Arsenal, handed United the initiative.
The Red Devils would go on to close out the Championship but Liverpool kept winning right until the end with 10 victories from our last 11 league matches. It ensured we finished the campaign by setting a new personal best in the Barclays Premier League, with 86 points.
Few sides have produced such sensational end of season form and not won the title, but rather than wallow in what might have been, Rafa and co have once again shown massive progression that can only bode well for the future.
Roll on 09-10, a season that promises to be another epic Reds adventure - especially if Rafa's first five are anything to go by.
The La Liga giants have also been linked with a move for 
