José Antonio Camacho was born in Cieza, in the Spanish region of Murcia, on 8 June 1955. A ferocious left-back, he spent his entire playing career at Real Madrid, from 1973 to 1989, winning nine Spanish championships and two UEFA Cups, and he won 81 caps for Spain. He began coaching at Rayo Vallecano, Espanyol and Sevilla, spent twenty-two days as Real Madrid manager in 1998 before resigning, and then took charge of Spain from 1998 to 2002, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup.

He had two spells at Benfica, not one. The first began in December 2002, his opening match a 3-1 win over Gil Vicente on the 4th of that month, and lasted until 2004. It brought the Taça de Portugal of 2003/04, won against Porto and the club's first trophy in eight years, in a season overshadowed by the death of the young Hungarian striker Miklós Fehér on the pitch at Guimarães in January 2004. He returned in 2007 but the second spell was brief and unhappy, ending in March 2008 with the side well off the pace; his last match was a 2-2 draw with Leiria on the 9th of that month. Over the two spells he took charge of 109 matches and won 66.

His football was exactly what his playing career suggested: two rigid banks of four, a narrow and compact defence, aggression in the tackle and quick, direct attacks down the flanks once the ball was won. He valued a clean sheet above a performance, which won him respect but never affection at the Luz. Afterwards he coached Osasuna, took charge of China from 2011 to 2013 and later of Gabon.