On the day after his 58th birthday, Rafa Benitez has revealed that he received a chocolate trophy as a birthday present from a Newcastle United fan – including a letter that thanked the Spaniard for bringing “belief, pride and togetherness” back to Tyneside.
The gaffer celebrated a 2-1 win over Arsenal and Premier League safety on Sunday, but Monday also marked his 58th birthday, with him posting this chocolate trophy and message of thanks to those who’d wished him a happy birthday:
Thank you for all your birthday wishes, it means a lot coming from the fans. Rafa Benítez. pic.twitter.com/DdR2HnThp9
— Rafa Benitez Web (@rafabenitezweb) April 16, 2018
It’s since came out that the chocolate trophy was actually sent from a Newcastle United fan, and Benitez has had the following to say about this surprise gift when speaking to Spanish station Radio Marca today:
“A fan sent me a cup, (the same as) my first cup as Newcastle manager. It’s a cup made out of chocolate in the shape of the Championship Trophy.
“The person who sent me it is one of the fans who’s been a permanent fixture at home games for a long time and told me: ‘You’ve restored our belief and our pride. We’re together.’
“They’re really proud of what’s happening with the team at the minute.”
“The fans of Newcastle United value above anything else that those in the black-and-white shirt are committed and give everything,”
“That’s what they’ve got with these players and that’s why they value them so much.”
Rafa really has restored our belief and our pride in our football club, and these little acts of kindness will just remind Benitez how much he means to us NUFC fans.
As stated in his letter, ‘we’re together’, and hopefully this is something that continues for many years to come.
The thought of a NUFC without Rafa Benitez is hard to bare and this serves as another subtle reminder of how much we need him to stay this summer.
