There are a lot of traditions that help make Christmas special. For some, it’s the food; for others, it’s gathering around and singing carols. And in many workplaces around the world, it’s the joy or displeasure of it being Secret Santa season.
The fun of picking a random name out of a hat and secretly buying presents is one that happens in most offices in the UK. But as it happens, it also extends to some of the biggest football clubs in the country too. Former England international Peter Crouch revealed all during an episode of his podcast and even told a story of how he once had the unenviable task of drawing Rafa Benitez during his time at Liverpool.
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Crouch’s Hilarious Secret Santa Gift For Benitez
The ex-England striker claimed that his former boss didn’t understand the joke
Speaking back in 2018, Crouch detailed what he got his former manager after being unfortunate enough to select him and what his reasons were behind it:
“Funnily enough, I drew my boss once at Secret Santa. It was Rafa Benitez at Liverpool. There was no limit so we went all in. So, what I got for Rafa; He started changing his image a bit, he started wearing a leather jacket.
“So, I got him a new leather [jacket] and I also got him Jose Mourinho’s book and it was ‘Jose Mourinho: How to win the league.
At the time, Benitez and Mourinho had a fierce rivalry, with Chelsea and Liverpool engaging in some heated battles throughout the mid 2000s.
However, based on Crouch’s recounting of the situation, it appears that Benitez was actually rather pleased with the joke present.
“He opened it up and he was genuinely interested. He’s like ‘I’ll read that.’ I don’t think he really got it,” Crouch added.
Of course, Benitez already knew how to win the league having done so on two occasions with Valencia in La Liga. But he failed to emulate that at Liverpool. Mourinho’s advice may have been put to good use during the 2016/17 season, though, as Benitez led Newcastle to the Championship title, getting them back into the Premier League.
Crouch would also tell this story while appearing on TNT Sports, leaving former teammate Joe Cole in stitches.
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All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt – accurate as of 24/12/2024
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