text: Amid a torrent of rumours surrounding Rafa Benitez and his managerial future, the Spaniard quietly continued a phenomenal career trend on Thursday with Napoli. He took the Serie A side into the Europa League semi-final with an emphatic 6-3 aggregate victory over Wolfsburg and the impending encounters against Dnipro will be Benitez's seventh major European semi-final in 12 seasons. Napoli are the fourth club he has taken to the latter stages of a European competition, following spells with Valencia, Liverpool and Chelsea. Rafa Benitez (right) celebrates taking Napoli into the Europa League semi-final with striker Gonzalo Higuain . Benitez (centre) has reached his seventh European semi-final in only 12 seasons with four teams . Benitez (right) guided Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005, his first season at the club . Benitez got Liverpool back to the final of the competition in 2007, where they were beaten 2-1 by AC Milan . 2004: UEFA Cup winner (Valencia) 2005: Champions League winner (Liverpool) 2007: Champions League finalist (Liverpool) 2008: Champions League semi (Liverpool) 2010: Europa League semi (Liverpool) 2013: Europa League winner (Chelsea) 2015: Europa League semi (Napoli) Benitez tasted continental success for the first time with Valencia in 2004, lifting what was then the UEFA Cup after beating a Marseille side spearheaded by Didier Drogba 2-0 in the final. That achievement, alongside the two La Liga titles he won during his three-year spell at the Mestalla, caught the eye of Liverpool, who swooped to bring the Spaniard in as Gerard Houllier's replacement. His first Premier League season was one of adjustment but in Europe, Benitez flourished. He recorded his most stunning glory to date, masterminding what on paper was a woefully uninspiring Liverpool team to Champions League glory, overcoming a star-studded AC Milan side that boasted the likes of Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko in the final. Benitez maneuvered Liverpool back to the Champions League final in 2007, eliminating Barcelona on the way with a win at the Nou Camp, only for Milan to avenge their defeat two years prior with a 2-1 victory. The Spaniard  manipulated another assault on Europe's elite trophy the following year but Liverpool were knocked out in the semi-final by Chelsea. Off-field ownership turmoil derailed Benitez's team and Liverpool have not even threatened to emerge as a challenger for club football's most prestigious competition since. They were eliminated in the group stage of the tournament in 2010, where a third-placed finish resulted in demotion to the Europa League. But Benitez guided Liverpool to the semi-finals of Europe's secondary competition, where a Diego Forlan strike in extra-time at Anfield sent Atletico Madrid to the final, where they beat Roy Hodgson's Fulham. The Spaniard was sacked as Liverpool manager at the end of the 2010 season and Hodgson replaced Benitez, who ended up at Chelsea as interim manager in 2012 via a short spell at Inter Milan. Benitez won the Europa League with Chelsea, beating Benfica in the final, but his stay at Stamford Bridge was always going to be a short one. Benitez often barbed Chelsea supporters while at Anfield and with Jose Mourinho's time at Real Madrid grinding to a halt, it was clear who Benitez was keeping the Chelsea hotseat warm for. Now at Napoli, Benitez finds his future at the club in question due to meandering domestic form. Napoli are currently fourth in Serie A, five points away from the top three (which equals Champions League qualification in Italy) with seven games remaining until the end of the season, when the Spaniard's contract expires. Benitez was not a popular choice at Chelsea but he still delivered silverware with the Europa League . Benitez first won the trophy with Valencia in 2004 shortly before moving to Liverpool . Benitez is out of contract at Napoli at the end of the season and has been linked with Manchester City . Benitez has been linked with a return to England with Manchester City, as Manuel Pellegrini has overseen a feeble attempt at defending their Premier League title, while some Liverpool fans even pine for him to return to Anfield. If Benitez does leave Napoli at the end of the season, he will surely have an array of suitors. He has 12 major honours to his name. Few coaches across Europe posses a record as imposing as his.
target: Rafa Benitez's contract at Napoli expires at the end of the season .
  He guided the Italian side to the Europa League semi-final on Thursday .
  He has taken four teams to a European semi-final inside 12 years .