Rafa Benitez knew; there isn’t much about football that Newcastle United’s world-renowned manager doesn’t know, whether it’s what Gareth Bale eats for breakfast or how many kilometres Dwight Gayle covered in training last week. It was just that, with an important game ahead, he didn’t want any fuss, any distractions.

Instead, it was only after Wednesday’s win at Wigan - on the team coach - that Benitez let slip to a couple of his staff that it had been his 1,000th professional match as a manager.

There was no fanfare - just a throwaway comment made after another victory which had taken his side back to the top of the Sky Bet Championship table. But while he may not have wanted to shout it from the rooftops, there’s no doubt that managing for 1,000 games is a massive achievement - and one that only a select few can match.

Benitez’s first game as a manager was Real Madrid B against Hercules Alicante on September 4th, 1993; he was just 33 years old and his side won 3-1.

After a successful period with Real’s B team, Benitez went to Real Valladolid in 1995 then moved on to Osasuna a year later. At both clubs, circumstances contributed to disappointing results but that only made him stronger. He took over at unfashionable CF Extremadura in 1997 and led them to a shock promotion, before keeping them up for a season against all expectations.

In 2000, he gained another promotion with CD Tenerife before being appointed as Valencia’s manager a year later. At the Mestalla Stadium, he led the team to a first La Liga title in 31 years and back-to-back Champions League finals before signing off with another league title and a UEFA Cup success.

He became manager of Liverpool in 2004 where he spent six trophy-laden years, which included winning an epic Champions League final against AC Milan in 2005.

But while that night in Istanbul was perhaps the most famous of his 1,000 games, other highlights include winning the FA Cup in dramatic fashion a year later, then claiming the FIFA Club World Cup and Supercoppa Italiana with Inter Milan in 2010.

At Chelsea, he won the Europa League in 2013; with Napoli, he lifted two more trophies in 2014. Then he got the chance to manage his beloved Real Madrid, before arriving at St. James’ Park in March.

And, at the age of just 56, there should be many more games to come - and more landmarks, too. Just don’t expect him to make a fuss about any of them.