RAFA: WHY I SAID NO TO REAL MADRID

Paul Eaton 18 April 2007 Rafael Benitez has revealed he turned down the chance of becoming Real Madrid manager because he believes he can realise his footballing ambitions at Anfield.

The Spanish giants were keen to appoint Madrid born Benitez to their managerial hot-seat, but Rafa insists he is more than happy to continue the excellent work he has already started at Anfield. "I said no to a good offer," said Benitez. "For me it is not a question of money, this is a project with my team and my club with the supporters behind us, and I am really happy with all those things together. "I said no to Real when they offered me more money than I get here, even though there maybe were greater expectations. Madrid may be my town, but I am happy here and pleased with everything. "There were some teams interested in me and, as I said after the meeting with the American owners, I think we are going in the right direction. Everything is okay for me here. "It isn't easy to find a club (like Liverpool) where all the supporters, or at least the majority of them, are behind you and you have a good staff and good players and the future can be brilliant. That is the most important thing to me. "The owners knew the situation when we were talking, and I'd said before that I am really pleased here, and for me that's it. "The atmosphere here in Liverpool is fantastic. You know that at this club you can work and improve. For me, the future looks brighter here than anywhere else." He added: "When I was with Valencia, I was really pleased with the club and the supporters but I had another opportunity made available to me. "I could see that Liverpool was a great project for the future, and that's the reason that I wanted to come here and that's the reason why I want to stay here. "When I decided to come here, I had also been given a good offer from Valencia to stay. But it is not a big difference when you are happy with your salary. "In football we are lucky because we earn a lot of money, and for me the difference is not the money. It's the support of the people, the possibility of the club, the staff and everything around the club that makes the difference."