Rafa Benitez thinks he had a striker at Liverpool who was even better than Karim Benzema

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Rafa Benitez spent over five years at Liverpool, with plenty of memorable moments as the club’s manager.

The Spaniard took over in 2004, leading the Reds to a Champions League triumph in 2005, along with an FA Cup, a UEFA Super Cup and a Community Shield.

Eventual decline at Liverpool saw Rafa Benitez leave in 2010, but he gave the club a taste of the success they had missed for so long.

While there were some misses on the transfer front, there were quite a few hits too, with one former striker now reflected on as the best the manager had in his career.

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Rafa Benitez picks Fernando Torres as striker in dream team

Rafa Benitez has managed plenty of top teams, including Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Napoli.

During those years, the Spanish coach had plenty of quality strikers at his disposal, with the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema featuring under his management.

However, for Benitez, the affection he feels for Fernando Torres seemingly tops the lot.

When asked to pick his dream XI with La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former manager chose the ex-Liverpool star as his top option.

It shows just how highly thought of Torres is for his impressive spell at Liverpool, where he was seemingly one of the best in the world.

The Spanish striker joined from Atletico Madrid in 2007, spending just over three years at Anfield before a controversial move to rivals Chelsea.

Torres ended up scoring 81 goals for the Reds in 142 appearances, cementing himself as a quality option before his move to Stamford Bridge.

Benitez then managed him later at Chelsea, where he made 44 appearances for the manager.

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Fernando Torres and Karim Benzema statistics compared

While Karim Benzema was awarded the Ballon d’Or, his playing time under Benitez was short and sweet.

That is in stark contrast to Torres, who featured in many more games for the manager during spells at Chelsea and Liverpool.

It’s no surprise, then, that Benitez opted for the one who scored many more goals in plenty of appearances for him.

While he couldn’t quite continue to find the same form in life after Liverpool, Torres certainly made an impact on the Premier League.