Rafa Benitez was once so harsh to a Liverpool star that it forced him to leave 

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Rafa Benitez certainly has a bit of a reputation for not being the best man-manager.

The Reds have truly had some elite managers throughout their time, with the club’s iconic manager banner a clear indication as to who are the most loved.

One of these is Spaniard Benitez, with the former Liverpool manager the one who led them to glory in that 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul.

He is widely regarded as one of the best managers the Premier League has seen, although his personality is said to be very marmite.

Some players absolutely loved him, while others very much loathed him, with one former Liverpool star even admitting that he departed Anfield all because of Benitez.

Yossi Benayoun left Liverpool because of Rafa Benitez

Some players only play for a few clubs in their careers while others seem to bounce from team to team and become somewhat of a journeyman, with Yossi Benayoun falling into this category.

Liverpool are the English club who he played the most games for, though, with the midfielder something of a cult hero during his spell between 2007 and 2010.

However, despite many of the fans loving him and popping up with some important goals, he once admitted that he could never please Benitez.

In fact, he insisted that it got so bad that he had to leave the club altogether, with this being the only reason he wanted to go.

“Everyone asks me why I left Liverpool. There is only one reason – Rafa Benitez,” Benayoun told The Guardian in 2010. “If I played well, I never felt he gave me credit.

“When I scored, I still expected to be out of the team the next game. On two occasions early last season, against Fulham and Lyon, the fans booed when I was subbed.

“They thought I was playing well but Benitez told me he was surprised the fans booed because I was not good enough.

“He tried to destroy my confidence. You can’t treat a player like this and expect him to be happy.

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“I don’t want to speak on behalf of other players at Liverpool, but people know what happened to Albert Riera and Xabi Alonso. It was the same for me. Benitez tried to break me like he broke Riera.”

Yossi Benayoun explained his controversial Chelsea move

Despite being loved by many of the Reds fans, when he moved to Chelsea, a lot of those feelings swiftly faded.

However, given what he went through, as well as hearing his justification, perhaps Benayoun can be forgiven.

Before leaving Liverpool, Benitez said to him: “You will not be in the squad for this game. Thank you for your three years of service, now you can call your agent to do a deal with another club.

“That’s when Chelsea made an offer and the deal was done before Benitez left.”

Benayoun certainly is not the first player to fall out with the Spaniard and many more will likely speak out in the future, but all in all, it was a very sad ending for a player who could have had a real impact.