Raheem Sterling, now at Manchester City, joined Liverpool from Queens Park Rangers in February 2010.
Benitez was in charge of Liverpool from the summer of 2004 until the summer of 2010, while Sterling – who can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a striker – moved to the Reds in February 2010.
According to The Times, the Merseyside outfit paid Queens Park Rangers £600,000 to secure the services of the 24-year-old England international, who was 15 at the time.
Benitez told The Times while naming Sterling as his greatest transfer bargain: “I credit my scouts and [former Liverpool academy director] Frank McParland. They convinced me to sign the boy.
“I gave him a tour around the training ground. Fernando Torres was there, Sterling’s mother was there. You could see someone who loved football, who was excited.”
Manchester City spell
Sterling did well during his time at Liverpool, and it did not come as a surprise when City paid the Reds an initial transfer fee of £44 million – as reported by BBC Sport – to sign him in the summer of 2015.
The Englishman has taken his game to another level at City and is now one of the best attacking players in the world.
During his time at the Citizens so far, the 24-year-old has won the Premier League title twice, the EFL Cup on two occasions and the FA Cup once.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
