Rafa Benitez is in high spirits as he surveys the scene. Down to his right, a ferry is pootling across the Mersey, to his left, the three buildings that make this riverfront so instantly recognisable stand tall and proud.
This is Liverpool, his home and the city where he was once king. He is the man who arrived from Valencia in 2004, hungry to revitalise the Reds. But he is also the man who crossed the great divide in 2021.
His name was sung on Monday at the Merseyside derby, but only by Liverpool fans, who will never forget how Benitez took them to the summit of European football.