“My ex-wife asked where our daughter was and I said she was on the beach. She goes, ‘Well, who’s looking after her?’ to which I said, ‘Rafa Benitez’” Johnny Vaughan on his strangest managerial encounter

Most football fans have a story or two about running into a footballer at a random place.

Perhaps you’ve seen your team’s star number nine queuing up at the petrol station, the midfield hard-man walking his dog or your all-time favourite goalkeeper getting his haircut.

Sometimes, if you’re really lucky, you’ll see a player or manager on holiday. And in radio presenter Johny Vaughan’s case, you can wrangle them into babysitting duties.

Johnny Vaughan on his bizarre Rafa Benitez meeting

Benitez and his Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard celebrate the 2005 Champions League win (Image credit: Getty Images)

The former Big Breakfast presenter picks up the story, after FourFourTwo asked him the strangest place he’s ever met a player or manager.

“Rafa Benitez on holiday in Sardinia,” Vaughan replies. “He was Liverpool manager and it was the end of the season, so he kept shuffling off into the bushes with his phone.

Close-up shot of Rafael Benitez — Benitez was Liverpool manager at the time of the encounter (Image credit: Stephen Pond/Getty Image)

“I heard him trying to sign Gareth Barry. Our daughters became really friendly and my son is called Raf.

“They wanted to go down to the beach, and Rafa said he’d take them. My ex-wife later asked where our daughter Tabitha was and I said she was on the beach.

“She goes, “Well, who’s looking after her?” to which I said, “Raf.” She screamed, “He’s three years old!”

“Then I explained it was Rafa Benitez and they were in great hands. Rafa was on the phone, but he’s telling the girls to get out of the water and gesturing with his two hands as if he was on the touchline at Anfield.”