Madrid--Upon sacking Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid coach, club president Florentino Perez offered the solace that the 10th boss of his reign in charge will be named next week.
Moments later when questioned by the press if the new coach would be a native speaker, Perez agreed it "would be very good if he speaks Spanish."
That confirmation has eliminated any doubt that remained among the Spanish media that the next man to face the task of living up to Perez's highest of standards will be current Napoli boss Rafael Benitez.
The 55-year-old is expected to take charge of his final game at the Stadio San Paolo before his contract expires on Sunday when Napoli host Lazio in effectively a playoff for the third Champions League spot in Serie A.
"Rafa Benitez is 99 percent certain to be Real Madrid coach," Ancelotti's agent Ernesto Bronzetti told Italian television station RAI on Monday.
AFP
